


“I Lived My Dream”

by ChiefDoctor



Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:47:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 30,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiefDoctor/pseuds/ChiefDoctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a sequel of the fabulous fanfic by dirtyfansecret called The Key to Everything<br/>If you have not enjoyed it yet - you will want to go back and read this first for maximum enjoyment and understanding.</p>
<p>After a shocking revelation at the end of The Key to Everything Alex and Matt must deal with the consequences.  How will this affect them and how will it ripple out to affect those they love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. “All of reality is threatened”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dirtyfansecret](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirtyfansecret/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Key to Everything](https://archiveofourown.org/works/863494) by [dirtyfansecret](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirtyfansecret/pseuds/dirtyfansecret). 



> The title "I Lived My Dream" is a quote from Closing Time. 
> 
> Story title and chapter titles come from quotes gleaned from various Matt Smith episodes. Seemed appropriate.
> 
> This is my first fanfic ever. I was deeply affected by dirtyfansecret's story The Key to Everything. It would not leave me and apparently the muse (that I did not know I had) demanded that it be written. I am very grateful to dirtyfansecret for her permission and encouragement to take her story and keep going. I hope it is worthy.

Chapter 1  
“All of reality is threatened.”

It took hours to get things sorted out after the accident. There was the police officers interviewing them about how the accident occurred, making arrangements with the tow company, and then the paramedics had insisted that they go to the hospital to be checked out. It’s no wonder both herself and Matt looked dazed and confused. She couldn’t be sure how much of it was the accident and how much of it was the revelation that Matt Smith was the father of her daughter Salome. Yeah wasn’t expecting that when she got up this morning.

She kept looking over at Matt trying to determine what he was thinking but nothing was clear. He didn’t seem to even be aware of where he was. He only spoke when the nurses or doctor asked him questions and even then they were short, curt answers. This wasn’t like Matt. He wasn’t making jokes, or trying to be silly. She noticed he wasn’t even smiling. Had she done the wrong thing – should she have kept that information to herself?

Probably if she would have thought about it she would have. In thirteen years she had never told another living soul (well except for George but then it was all his damn fault in the first place!). Maybe it was the head trauma of the accident but she just blurted it all out and now look at poor Matt. He was beside himself. What was she thinking?

Sometime around one in the morning the cab pulled up to her house dropping them off from their strange night. They never did get to eat dinner but somehow that seems farthest from their minds at this moment. She walks up to the house puts the key in the lock and steps in. She immediately realizes that Matt isn’t following her. She turns around. He is riveted to the top step – frozen.

He is standing there staring into Alex’s house. He has been here before, has felt comfortable in her home but now it seems so different. It’s like he knows when he steps in this time everything will be different. Like entering a portal into another dimension feeling not unlike Alice deciding whether she wants to enter the Looking Glass.

Alex takes his hand. “Matt, honey it’s ok come on in”. She practically has to guide him as if he was an injured colt, not aware of what he was doing. She gets him to the foyer and closes the door behind them. He is still standing there, not moving, not speaking – just looking so lost and bereft. She goes to him and puts her arms around him. He finally moves bringing his arms around to her back and placing his head on her shoulder. At that moment he slowly quietly begins to sob. 

She has never heard Matt cry before – ever. Not even when Karen and Arthur left he remained stoic. This wasn’t just crying as much as a guttural release that she was just not prepared for. Hearing him cry caused her own tears to flow. Soon her legs could not support their weight and she and him slid down the wall to the floor. She’s not sure how long they remained there but she just continued to soothe him, rubbing circles on his back, quietly telling him that everything was going to be alright. She had no idea if that was true or not but she had to believe it.

After what seems like hours their sobbing subsided and they just held each other. She finally began to stir. “Come let me make us some tea.”

He shook his head, “Got any whiskey?”

“Yeah, this is probably going to need a bit more than tea.”  
They helped each off the floor and she led the way to the kitchen.

Pulling down two tumblers, she rooted around the cupboard at the end for an appropriate liquor. She found a bottle of scotch whiskey that she thinks she bought for Steven but never gave him. Oh well, least it’s the good stuff. She poured some in each of the glasses. Despite him having stood there like an inanimate object the entire time he immediately grabbed for the filled glass. He downed it immediately, slamming it on the counter for a refill. She obliged. This time he did not immediately drink the liquor but seemed to be fascinated by something past Alex’s head. 

Cradling the tumbler to his chest his feet shuffled him over to the refrigerator. It was filled with many pictures of Salome. He had looked at them earlier in the evening while waiting for Alex to get ready but now he saw them for the first time. He saw them for what they were – pictures of his daughter. His daughter – how is this even possible? He studied her face looking for traces of himself in her. When he had always looked at Salome he always saw so much of her mother in her. He never looked for the parts that might be her father. Of course, why would he – he didn’t even know Florian. Ah but now he knows better, he knows to look not for Florian but for glimmers of himself, or his mom, or his dad. The thoughts were overwhelming. He forced more of the liquid into his mouth, felt the sting in his throat, allowing him to breathe again.

Alex watched him as he had moved to in front of the refrigerator. He just stood there studying the pictures of her daughter, our daughter! This was too completely unreal. How is it even possible for me to have a child with Matt Smith and how is it that that child is Salome! And she had thought the world of Doctor Who and River Song was timey wimey and wibbly wobbly. She had to laugh at herself – even Steven couldn’t have come up with a plot this bizarre. 

Matt forced his feet to move again. He wandered back into the living room and found what he was looking for. He used to tease Alex that it was her Salome Shrine. On a floor to ceiling cabinet was the history of Salome. Pictures from the many stages of her life, some proper studio pictures, many just casual ones – all beautifully framed to show off her beautiful baby girl. 

He stood before it tracing her timeline from birth till now. It was only twelve years but it was a lifetime – her lifetime. His eyes betrayed him again as a tear began down his cheek. The realization that his daughter had lived on this planet for twelve years and he had missed all of it. Oh there was the times he had had with her on set, or with Alex both here and in England but they were nothing compared to the years she had lived without knowing him or he knowing her. His eyes landed on a picture of him holding her on his back they are both grinning like idiots into the camera. He remembers that day. It was on set in Cardiff, they were filming bits for the Impossible Astronaut. Alex had brought Salome in that day and while she was filming some scenes he was keeping Salome entertained. Karen he thinks took that photo. 

He finally moves to take it down from his shelf. It’s the only proof he has of ever being in her life. He clutches the frame to his chest, finding it hard to breathe. Alex is right behind him, catches his arm, and guides him back to the sofa. He just sits there staring at the photo. What is he looking for? Some kind of recognition? Something of himself in her. That’s when he notices her eyes. There his eyes staring back at him. How did he never see that before? Everyone always tells him that his eyes betray him as an old soul. That would explain Salome, wiser beyond her years, and seemingly to have lived far longer that her age would represent. 

She finally breaks the silence between them; “You want to talk about it?”

His eyes look up from the photo to meet hers. He looks so sad, so lost. He looks at her blankly and shakes his head. Taking the frame and putting it on the coffee table he lays his head in her lap. He continues to gaze at the picture of him and his daughter, the daughter he never knew he had. Alex slowly rakes her hands through what little hair he has. She misses his locks, misses being able to tussle his hair. It’s not long before he is fast asleep.

Alex is awaken by the sound of the trash collectors truck down the street. She opens her eyes, the sun streaming through the front window, and there is a very cute Matt Smith in her lap. He looks so adorable when he is sleeping. She can’t believe she hadn’t noticed before how his nose crinkles while he sleeps, just like Salome’s. Alex thinks about the strange unfolding of events last night that brought her to this moment where Matt Smith was asleep on her lap and also apparently the father of her only child. Still gonna need more time to wrap my head around that one!

She tries not to wake him but she really needs to use the loo and his position on her isn’t helping that at all. She gently lifts his head while trying to extricate herself from his body. She thought she had been successful when he grabbed her wrist and murmured, “Don’t leave me Kingston”.

“I’m not leaving you love. I just need to use the loo and then I’m going to make us some tea. You just rest.” Alex went down the hall to the guest bathroom while Matt began to stir. He awoke a bit disoriented as to where he was. The sun was awfully bright here – oh yeah LA, forgot….Alex’s place, yes…….and then he saw it. The picture of himself and Salome looking back at him and the reality of the situation was slammed into his face once more. His head began to spin, his palms sweating, and he was fairly sure it wasn’t this hot in here just a few minutes ago. 

He heard Alex making noises in the kitchen, what was she doing? Oh it sounds like she is making tea. Tea! How can she be making tea at a time like this? She just told me that I was the father of her only child, I am a father, and that she is the woman I have fantasized about for a decade until I started to fantasize about…..well her…only I didn’t know the other person was her so it was a different her….and OMG I think my head is going to explode! 

Alex brought the tea in for him. She sat it on the coffee table. “I’m going to go take a shower Sweetie. Drink your tea. We can talk when I get out”.

OMG! OMG! Alex wants to talk …….about THIS. I have got to get out of here. I can’t be here another second. But I didn’t bring a car….cab I should call for a cab…..but who do I call…..wait I can call Kaz…..boy I must really be loosing it if I want Kaz to drive me anywhere…..but then I am loosing it.

Kaz 9999!!!!! Come pick me up. -M

Oi! Stupid Face do you have any idea what time it is? -K

Now!!!!!!! -M

Please!!!! -M

Sure – Where are you? -K

Alex’s Place -M

Oh! Oh! Be there in 15 -K

 

He slips out the door and waits at the end of the driveway. As soon as Kaz stops the car he jumps in. He doesn’t say anything just stares somewhere in the vicinity of his feet.

“What you do stupid face?”

He turns and looks at her with the look of someone who has lost everything. She didn’t have the heart to say anything more.  
‘He must have royally screwed this up’, is all she could think.

Matt didn’t say anything the entire ride to Karen’s flat. When they walked in Arthur was sitting on the couch. Matt looked surprised to see him there. When he turned to Karen, she just said, ”well you didn’t really give me a chance to tell you he was here now did you?”

The lost puppy look on Matt’s face was more than she could take and she wrapped her arms around him in a big embrace. Tears began to flow again. Karen looked over to Arthur with pleading eyes. Now Karen had spent nearly three years watching Matt pine over Alex, she endured their unbearable flirting when she was there, and his unbearable moodiness when she wasn’t. Based on his current state and the location she just picked him up from she assumes that he finally decided to do something about his attraction and that Alex didn’t respond in kind.

“Matt, tell us what happened? Did you and Alex have a falling out?”  
Matt almost laughs at that one. Karen is confused now. What is going on?

She manages to get him to the sofa. Arthur has made them tea and he thrusts a cup into his hand. Oh the English thinking tea will solve everything ~ not in a million light years on this one mate.  
But the tea is helping, he’s calming down a bit and his vision is almost not completely out of focus.

Arthur’s calm voice in the storm asks, “Mate, can you tell us what happened?”

Matt puts his tea on the coffee table. From his jacket he pulls out the framed photo of himself and Salome. He places it next to his tea mug. Pointing to the picture he is able to squeak out, “That…That is my daughter!”

Arthur looks at Karen and Karen looks at Arthur. What the mad crazy is he on about?  
“Matt did you fall down and hit your head? Have you been in some kind of accident?”

“Yeah, I have. Then Alex told me that I was Salome’s father.”  
Karen and Arthur are sure now that Matt is having some kind of mental issue, perhaps a concussion.

“What kind of accident was it?”

“We hit the car into a tree….well actually Alex hit the car into the tree….yeah that was right after I told her about Sasha”.

“Whose Sasha?”

“Sasha…..was this fabulous older woman I met my first time in LA. She was this exotic beauty with a glorious Russian accent.” “You know I dated a lot of Russian girls because of the accent……but none of them were ever her.”

Arthur was just looking at Karen like “What the Hell?” and Karen just threw her hands around indicating she had no idea, so they both just let him ramble on.

Proceeding cautiously Karen asked, “So did Sasha have something to do with hitting the tree?” 

“Well I didn’t realize that at first but yeah. Apparently Alex is Sasha.”

“What!?!” exclaims Karen.

“Whoa!?!” echoed Arthur.  
“So are you saying you knew Alex before she came to work on Who?”

“But I didn’t know….I really didn’t know……and neither did she……..until we told our stories tonight and realized that her boy and my girl were us.” Matt looked utterly dazed as he spoke. It wasn’t hard to tell that even he wasn’t sure he believed this story. Maybe he did really conk his head during that accident after all.

Karen inquired, “So are you saying you and Alex met a long time ago when you were how old?”

“Eighteen”.

“Eighteen, and what you both just realized it?”

“Yeah!”

“But mate how does that make you Salome’s father? I thought her husband was.”

“Yeah, that’s what she told everyone (except George) cause she just wanted to have a baby.”

“Whoa……….what?”, sputtered Karen.  
“Whose George?”, asked Arthur.

All three of them sank back into the sofa staring at the picture of Matt and Salome, not sure what else to say.


	2. “Please!  Listen to me!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex must find a way to deal with the fall out of the revelation. She calls someone from the past to help her through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 title “Please! Listen to me!” is a quote from the The Pandorica Opens

Alex went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She felt as if she had done a week of night shoots. Her body was beyond exhaustion and her mind was screaming. She put on a calm front for Matt but inside she was a complete and utter mess. She had never seen Matt so undone before. She was scared for him. She had no idea what this meant for him, for her, for Salome. 

Oh her baby, what had she done? All these years she had kept this secret buried why did she decide to reveal it now? How was Matt going to handle this? She let the warm water beat against her body as she mentally beat herself up. 

She remembers back to that day, how vulnerable she felt, how going to that party empowered her. It did. It gave her courage. It gave her a wonderful sexual experience that she has often thought of when alone these many years. It gave her Salome. No she would not regret it but by god she certainly knew how to complicate it. 

It was one thing to enjoy the memory of the forgotten boys name and face but now he had one ~ it was Matt. Matt whom she had flirted with every chance she got, Matt who was her friend, Matt who she had desires for but would never act on them. Yes, that Matt was the vision in her fantasies these past thirteen years, and apparently also the man responsible for helping her bring her only child into this world. Karma was indeed a bitch! “This is all George fucking Clooney’s fault!” 

 

When she got out of the shower, she found herself in her closet again like so many years ago, dialing his number. “George, I am going to fucking kill you”.

“Sorry honey, which one of my exes are you and what have I done this time?”

“George, this is Alex Kingston.”

“Alex I haven’t heard from you in a while. What could I possibly have done to you to warrant my death?”

“Remember that thing that we said we were never going to talk about?”

“You mean the boy at the party?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“What about it?”

“Well he’s sitting in my living room right now!”

“Shit!”

“Yeah, shit!”

“You mean the one who doesn’t know he donated to the creation of your child?”

“Yep, that’s the one.”

“Shit!”

“Oh, and he knows now.”

“What? Oh Alex, what can I do for you?”

“Can you come over? I really need to talk about this and you’re the only one in the world who knows anything about it and I have to go back out there and talk to him and I think my head is going explode any second now.”

“Sure, I can come right over.”

“Thanks, George.”

“Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“Your not still planning on killing me when I get there are you?”

She let out a little laugh, “I am currently undecided”.

“Fair enough, see you in a few”.

“Thanks, I really appreciated it.”

“Don’t mention it – see you in a bit.”

She threw the phone on the bed, then went to the closet to decide what she should wear. What exactly does one wear to talk to the man who fathered her baby, who also happens to be her co-star and her friend, not to mention she’s kinda of fancied for these past three years? She decides on a simple white silk blouse with blue jeans. She tries to tame her mane but leave it down. Matt always likes it that way she remembers. Wait, why was she doing her hair the way Matt likes it? When did that become a thing?

 

She picks up her cell phone noticing there is a message from Arthur:

Alex don’t worry. Kaz and I got him. 

What? What are they talking about? Has who?  
Matt? They have Matt? But Matt is in the living room.

She runs down stairs and sure enough he is gone. She looks around for a note. Nothing on the coffee table or in the kitchen. She notices the picture of him and Salome is gone too. Oh Matthew, be ok darling.

She decides to text Arthur back:

Take good care of him for me. Love Alex xx

She pushes her phone into her back pocket and begins to tidy up the house. She gets as far as taking the tea to the kitchen when the doorbell rings. “Who now?”, she thinks.

She opens the door to see George Clooney standing on her doorstep.


	3. “We’re all stories in the end.  Just make it a good one, eh?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen and Arthur try to make heads or tails of Matt's version of reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 title “We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” is from The Big Bang

After sometime where all three of them just sat in silence, it was Karen who ventured to get more details about well…..whatever they hell he is talking about.

“Matt, this seems just too far fetched. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head in the crash? Did you go to the hospital?”

“Yeah we went to the hospital. I know it sounds insane, possibly why my head feels like it is going to explode at any moment. This morning when I woke up Alex said we would talk about it after her shower and I just panicked. It felt like the walls were closing in and there was no air – I just had to get out of there. To try and clear my head.”

“Ok, well that explains your 9999 text this morning. Um, Darvill help me in the kitchen a minute.” Karen gestures toward the other room.

Confused himself thinking about this revelation, he says, “Huh, what? Oh Yeah!”  
He follows her to the kitchen.

“Look, get over to Alex’s and find out what the real story is.” She tells Arthur.

“Me? Why me?” he protests.

“Because Alex will tell you the truth. Go all Daddy Pond on her, she likes that.” She begins to push him towards the door.

“and what are you going to do?” he inquires.

“I’m going to keep stupid face from jumping off a cliff.” They both peer in from the kitchen to see the saddest sight imaginable sitting on the sofa.

“Yeah, good luck with that. My job doesn’t seem so tough any more.”

“Now get going……and hurry back. I want the real story. I am sure stupid face in there got this all wrong. How weird would it be if he really was Salome’s father?” Karen teases.

Arthur snorts “Yeah what are the chances his kid would be that cool.”

“Ok you, get out of here and let me deal with old numpty over there.”

Arthur slips out the door while Karen ventures back to the sitting room. Matt hadn’t seemed to move the entire time she was gone. His eyes were transfixed on the photo of Salome. Karen sat down next to him on the sofa. He didn’t seem to notice. She reached over and laid the picture face down on the table.

This seemed to bring him out of his trance. “Huh, why’d you do that?”

She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Because we need to talk and staring at that picture is not helping you right now. So I need you to start from the beginning and tell me again what happened between you and Alex.”

He gave her a weak smile and then proceeded to tell her the entire tale from beginning to end. This was going to take awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .


	4. “Yes, it’s insane.  And it’s about to get even more insaner.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George tries to help Alex see this new revelation in a new light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 title “Yes, it’s insane. And it’s about to get even more insaner.” is from The Rebel Flesh

“Hi Alex!” he said as she opened the door.

“Hi George, come on in”. 

“I can’t believe we are going to talk about this again after all this time. What has it been…..10 years?” he inquired.  
“Actually 13……and yes I think we need…..no I need to talk about this….and you’re the only one I can talk about this with. No one else knew……..until yesterday.”

“So did he just show up? How did he even find you? How did he know who you were?”

With this she just started laughing that turned into crying and George Clooney found himself with a sobbing Alex Kingston on his shoulder and not quite sure how he got into all of this.

The tears slowed and Alex was able to control her thoughts a bit more after a good cry. “I’m sorry, I think I may have ruined your shirt.” She murmured.

“That’s ok. I’m sure I owe you at least one shirt after all these years”.

She smirked a bit but then that was his plan all along.

“So are you going to tell me who this guy is? Inquiring minds want to know.” For his attempt at levity he received the famous Alex Kingston eye roll.

“Let me make us some tea.” She moved to the kitchen busying herself with the task of tea making. George sat at the stool under the counter watching her. She made small talk with him about the goings on in his life since she had seen him last. She handed him his tea and caressed her own cup like it had magical powers. When she had drunk enough of its essence to give her strength she began. 

“You know I haven’t really thought about that night much since it happened. Well not really…..at least not as it pertained to Salome.”

“Oh Christ! Alex this is all my fault. Why did I ever talk you into going to that party in the first place?” George was feeling quite a bit much like a pillock (and he didn’t even know what that meant).

Alex put up her hand in protest. “As much as I do want to blame this all on you, It was my choice. I didn’t have to go there. I didn’t have to sleep with another man……and I certainly didn’t have to lie to my husband and child for the past 13 years.” Alex seemed almost accepting of this inevitability. 

George looked at her with kind eyes. “So why now Alex? How did this all come out now?”

“I hadn’t planned for it to……it just sort of unfolded in front of me.” 

“So who is the guy Alex? I mean really how did he find you?” George inquired.

At this Alex did laugh. George looked perplexed. “George you’re not even going to believe this one when I tell you?”

“So who? Do I know him?”

“No, but I do!”

“So who is it?”

“Not who, Doctor Who!” She actually had to laugh at that. Matt would have liked that…..maybe she’ll tell him later…….. if he ever speaks to her again. She lets out a sigh.

“Huh? I have no idea what you are on about.” ,jarring Alex from her contemplative thoughts.

“So you know that I have been doing the show Doctor Who for the past few years?”

“Yeah, in England, right?”

“Yes, technically Wales but yes. Well the Doctor is played by Matt Smith.”

“Ok, so you work with Matt Smith?”

“Well, he’s the guy!” George literally spewed tea all over her kitchen counter.


	5. “Did you wish really hard?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen tries to get Matt to see what this can all mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 title “Did you wish really hard?” is a quote from The Doctor’s Wife

After Matt had finished the details of his and Alex’s past and present lives he looked over to her and said, “so apparently all these years that I was wondering what it would be like to be with Alex I already knew but didn’t know I knew. Isn’t that really pathetic?”

“So you and Alex had a one night stand like thirteen years ago but you didn’t know it was her?”

“It would seem so.”

“And she didn’t remember you either?”

“No! Easy the ego is already quite a bit bruised.”

“Sorry, I just meant neither of you recognized each other in all of the time you spent together?”

“Well no but then I thought she was a dark haired Russian beauty. I wouldn’t have…….. Although I did have a strange reaction when she wore the Cleopatra wig…….but then I thought it was just the costume. I mean I think every guy on the crew that day was hot and bothered.” Karen smacks him with a pillow.

“Ow! What’s that for?”

“Eyes front soldier! Let’s stay focused.”

“Yes, your right.”

“Smith this has got to be the most bizarre twisted tale of romance I have ever heard.”

“Romance? How do you figure this is romantic?”

“Oh come on even you have to see it?”

He looks at her incredulously, “What!?!”

“Come on Smithdawg this is like the ultimate chick flick. You were destined to be together throughout time. What are the chances that you would have a one time hookup, on the other side of the globe and then ten years later end up working with that person in a romantic relationship on a near daily basis?”

“It doesn’t seem possible…….how could this be possible?”, he looks imploringly into Karen’s face in the hopes that she can explain it to him.

Taking his hands she looks him straight in the eye, “I believe that this is what Darvill and I have been saying all along. You and Alex are meant to be together. The way you two are with each other is perfect and you know you have been in love with her for ages.” He tries to protest but she will have none of that. “Don’t make me hurt you!” He stops and she continues. “I think this is fate or destiny or whatever you want to call it but I think it is inevitable and if this isn’t enough of a sign for you to make your move I don’t know what will be!”

“Make my move?” he sputters.

“Yes, make your move! Tell her how you feel. I don’t think you have any choice any longer.”

“But she doesn’t feel that way about me. She is so totally out of my league. What if I lose her forever?”

Karen is so exasperated with him she could beat his little numpty head repeatedly with the pillow but she refrains since she knows this has been a difficult day. Perhaps if she calms down she can think of something to say to this idiot to get him to understand.

An idea occurs to her, “So why do you think she told you about her part in the key party?”

“Well, cause I told her about mine I suppose.”

“But she didn’t have to tell you. I mean it sounds like she had already worked out that you were the guy. She could have just kept that all to herself.”

“Yeah, I guess she could have but……..so what are you saying?”

“I’m saying she wanted you to know because you meant more to her than a one time thing and that now that she knows you for the wonderful friend (well to her – not to me) that you are she wanted that connection to you.”

“Maybe…..but that doesn’t really……do you really think so?”

“Matt, why would she have told you about Salome if she didn’t want something important with you? Now you know Alex she loves that child more than anything else in the world. Why would she take such a risk with her by telling you that you were her father?” Karen had his attention now. There had to be something to this. Alex would never risk anything when it had to do with Salome. Why would she have told him?

“So what are you saying Kaz?”

“I’m saying that she told you about Salome because she wants you to be her child’s father!”

“Whoa! ……… Really?” Matt’s mind is racing trying to make all of these thoughts make sense in his head. This is too much to process. Twenty-four hours ago he was looking forward to spending some time with Alex and now apparently they have had an affair he doesn’t quite remember and a child. His mother warned him that things were crazy in LA.

He leans over to Karen and without words places his head on her shoulder. Karen strokes his arm while they quietly sit there contemplating all that has transpired in the past day.


	6. “No, but I always took you where you needed to go.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George helps Alex see an important detail that she had missed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 title “No, but I always took you where you needed to go.” is a quote from The Doctor’s Wife

Alex is beating on George’s back asking him if he is alright while he sputters “What!?!” with tea landing all over the counter. He puts down the mug and leans over to her, “So you are telling me that your co-star of the past four years is the same guy you met at the key party thirteen years ago?”

“Yeah – same one!”

“How is that even possible, Alex? I mean you guys don’t even live on the same continent.”

Alex’s smirks, “It seems that my completely useless reproductive system wasn’t the only thing providing more drama in my life!”

“This is unbelievable Alex. I mean what are the odds? If we were in Vegas this would be like what a million to one?”

“Probably more like a billion to one since my reproductive system wasn’t even suppose to be in working order.” George just stared at her with a slightly amused look on his face.

“So how did he find out?” Alex went through the details of how the story unfolded the night before and how she had told him that she was Sasha and even went as far as to tell him that he was Salome’s father.

George listened without interruption. When she was finished he looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“What? Did I forget something?”

“I was just wondering why you told him?”

“What do you mean, why did I tell him? He told me.”

“No, he told you about his experience at a key party. He had no idea it was you. So why did you tell him?” Alex sat back in her seat with a troubled look on her face. Why had she told him? George was right. He would have never known it was her if she hadn’t said something.

“I don’t know…………” is all she said turning her head to look out into the garden.

“Oh don’t you?”

“What do you mean?” her head snaps back to look at him.

“Alex I haven’t seen much of you in the past decade but whenever I have these past few years you are always talking about the guy who plays the Doctor.”

“No I don’t!”

“Yeah, actually you do. Oh it’s always some amusing anecdote or something that happened on set but I can’t think of a time in the past two years when you haven’t brought him into the conversation. What do you think that means?”

“Oh George, Matt is just a friend. Besides you are just exaggerating.”

“Am I? Cause you just told your co-star, who you claim to not have any feelings for, that he is the father of your baby?”

“Shit!”

“Yeah, shit………so why did you Alex? What was the real reason you told him?”

“I don’t……….I – I ……..” she just stared at George not knowing what to say to any of that.

“I just think it is something you need to think about because it seems to me that you had an overwhelming need to connect with him and this just provided it for you………in a big way!”

Alex’s hand went to her lips rubbing them back and forth. She looked from George back to the garden and then back to George and said, “maybe I did!”


	7. “It’s time to stop waiting.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tries to determine the truth in this unbelievable tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 title “It’s time to stop waiting.” is a quote from The God Complex

Arthur pulled into Alex’s driveway. He noticed the black Mercedes there and wondered who that could be. Maybe Florian bringing Salome home? Oh he hopes he doesn’t have to meet up with Alex’s ex-husband. Not sure he wants to have that experience. Sometimes Arthur thinks he takes his Daddy Pond role a bit too seriously but it’s Alex – he would do anything for her.

As he shuts off the car the front door opens up and a man comes down the stairs. Arthur decides to stay in the car to avoid any possible run-ins with the ex. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to check him out though. He looks at him thinking he looks familiar but he has never met Florian…..well maybe he saw him in a picture. The man looks up to the house and says, “Bye Alex, call me later.” The sound of that voice. Why does that sound familiar? He finds himself looking over to the man in the next car. He flashes a smile at Arthur and waves. A light bulb goes off in his head. No, that isn’t……no that can’t be. He gets out of the car and races up the steps to Alex who is waiting for him at the open door. “Alex, was that….that just George Clooney?”

She said, “yes, why?”

He asks incredulously, “You know George Clooney?”

Alex laughs at how silly this all does seem but, “Yeah Dad, I know George Clooney.”

“Boy Matt was right. You really are in a completely different league than us!” He had meant it as a compliment but at that moment it didn’t feel like one. He saw the hurt across her face and immediately wished he hadn’t said it. “I’m sorry I don’t know what I am prattling on about. How are you?” She folded into his arms and he walked her into the house.

“How’s he doing?” she asked as soon as the door was closed.

“Well he seems to be a right mess. He has it in his head that you and he had an affair some time ago and that somehow that makes him Salome’s father and Karen and I can’t seem to dissuade him of that idea. So how big a conk on the head did he get in that accident?”

“Would you like some tea……or should we just go for the hard stuff?” she asks while walking towards the kitchen. Arthur follows looking ever more perplexed. The whiskey bottle is still sitting on the counter from last night. She gets two tumblers from the cupboard and pours generous amounts in each. She passes one over to Arthur looking into his eyes for the first time. With that she swallows a large gulp of the fiery drink. Arthur keeps his gaze on her trying to ascertain what is really going on here. Finally she answers his question, “I don’t know how to say this so I guess I just will……..everything he told you was true!”

Arthur’s mouth drops open. He keeps looking at Alex sure that she is pulling a prank on him but she seems properly scared of what she just revealed and now he is as well. He swiftly drinks his drink without thinking about it. He eyes practically bulge out of his head. Then he comes around the counter and takes Alex in his arms. She is trembling. He removes the glass from her hand and places it on the counter and just embraces her. With her head on her shoulder she softly cries, “I have just buggered up everything. Matt….. Salome….. you …..and Karen…………….. I am such a mess.”

Arthur cooed in her ear, “It’s alright, everything will be all right” while rubbing her back and staring out into her back garden. His mind was racing and he was grateful for the calming effect of the whiskey, although he could do without the fire in his throat. Alex said it was all true……how ……can ….this …..be …..possible?

She seemed to be calming down so he steered her into the lounge to the sofa. When they sat down he could see that she was a right mess as well with tears streaming down her face and he jumped up in search of tissues. He finally located some in the kitchen near the phone. While in there he downed the rest of Alex’s drink. He kinda felt he was going to need it.

After a few tissues and a few more tears she begins to calm down. Arthur takes that as his cue. “So how exactly do you and Matt know each other?” He wasn’t sure why he phrased it that way but in the interminable minutes that had passed since her pronouncement he began to wonder if they had been having a relationship this whole time without he and Karen having a clue. That didn’t seem possible but then here he was in a world where Alex Kingston was telling him that the father of her 12 year old daughter was none other than his friend Matt Smith. So what was possible was up for grabs!

“Arthur, Matt and I know each other as I know you from working on Doctor Who. Until yesterday I thought the first time I had met him was at the read through for the The Time of Angels. Wonderful, sweet, clumsy, flirty Matt who I worked with and who was my friend.” Arthur gave her a look of ‘really?’ “Ok, so maybe he was a little more than a friend but it could never be. I am way too old for him and he is a rising star. I won’t get in the way of that.”

“Alex!” She waved her hands away.

“That doesn’t matter now anyways because apparently the universe had already landed one big cosmic joke on me by having me actually have met Matt in the past when I was pretending to be another person. God, this is starting to sound like one of Stephen’s scripts.” Arthur snorted. “Anyways a long time ago when I was pumped on hormones trying to get pregnant; I thought my husband had left me. George didn’t want me to fall apart again like I did after my first marriage went bust so he suggested a bold move – a key party.”

“George…as in George Clooney?”

“Yes, George Clooney…….would you forget George fucking Clooney?!” she practically screeched.

“Ok…ok….sorry. This Hollywood thing is all new to me.” He seemed flustered but refocused to give Alex his attention.  
“So anyways I met Matt at this party. I didn’t really even remember him really. He was so young and English. I remembered he was English and that he used to be a football player but I hadn’t even remembered his name. I suppose I had to forget or I wouldn’t have been able to lie to Florian (and Salome) all these years.”

Arthur leaned forward and asked gently, “So how can you be sure that he is Salome’s father?” 

Alex sighed and continued. “Florian and I were trying to conceive a child through IVF. I was chocked full of hormones but we weren’t allowed to have sex as it might interfere with the procedure. When I went in for my transfer two weeks after Matt and I were together the doctor said I was already pregnant. There is only one person I had had sex with so he has to be her father.” Arthur fell back on the corner of the sofa. His face seemed to change rapidly going through many different emotions at once. He finally settled on concern.

“Alex, how can I help you through this?”

“Can you just stay with me? I think I need to just keep talking this out and I’m afraid if I am alone I will just drive my self mad.”

“Absolutely! What about Matt?” he was wondering how Karen was doing with Matt at her place.

“Oh Matt! I don’t think I can see him yet. I’m not ready.” 

He puts a calming hand over hers, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t think he is up for that yet anyways. Just let me call Karen to tell her where I’ll be.” He gets up to use his phone. She catches his arm as he passes by her.

“Thanks!” He bends down and kisses the top of her head.

“Hey that is what dads are for!” She lets out a giggle.

Out in the kitchen he leans against the counter and presses Karen’s number. Speaking in a whisper Karen answers, “So Darvill did you find out the scoop?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well?!?”

“Um well apparently our son-in-law is a dad!” He hears rustling at the other end of the phone and then a thump. “Karen, Karen are you ok?”

“Yeah just fell against the counter…….Are you serious?”

“Yeah Alex confirmed it all.”

“Darvill this is just completely weird.”

“Yeah, well I think I am going to spend the night here. Alex is in a bad way and she doesn’t want to be left alone. She’s not ready to see Matt yet and I think she just needs a friend tonight.”

“Ok, well stupid face has fallen asleep on the couch anyways. So I guess I will see you in the morning.”

“Yeah, see you in the morning.”


	8. “I can’t save you from this.  There’s nothing I can do to stop this.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex needs to buy some time........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 title “I can’t save you from this. There’s nothing I can do to stop this.” is a quote from The God Complex

While Arthur is in the kitchen talking with Karen; Alex decides to call Florian. Salome is supposed to come back tomorrow about midday but this is no situation for her to walk in on. 

“Florian, yeah it’s Alex. How’s everything going with Salome? Good….good. Um, I was wondering if she could stay a few extra days? Well you see Matt’s here….no that’s not why! Honestly! No, he’s in kinda a bad way right now and I’m trying to help him through it. I don’t think it would be good for Salome to see him this way. Yeah, leaving Who has been a little hard on him. Ok, thanks. Well, I’ll come get her before your trip on Thursday. And Florian, thank you I really appreciate it.” 

 

Yeah it’s a whole lot easier letting him think this is about Who that about his daughter…..Matt’s daughter….Oh Salome what have I done to you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a tiny little chapter but definitely more to come very soon. Thank you for taking the journey with me.


	9. “I have questions, but number one is this.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen and Arthur pool their resources to align the stars, planets, and moons. Will that be enough for Matt and Alex though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 title “I have questions, but number one is this.” is a quote from The Pandorica Opens

“Oi! Stupid Face, don’t you think it’s time to get up?” Matt is being awakened by the sound of a very rude red-haired Scot. 

“What?” Matt is lying face down on Karen’s rather small sofa for his rather large frame. His legs are half way on the floor and he realizes he is still wearing his clothes, even his coat. As he looks up he sees a quite perky Karen holding two mugs of what he presumes to be tea. He pushes himself up and looks around the flat. “Bloody Hell Kaz what time is it?”

“Time for you to wake up Smithers. Now have some tea.” She all but shoves it in his hand then scampers over to the adjoining chair to sit down. Why are Scottish people always so pushy? he wonders. They sit in silence as they both let the tea work its magic in the waking up process. Well to be fair it looks as if Kaz has had an early start. As he sits there the events of the previous couple of days replay in his head. He still can’t wrap his mind around this new information and how it completely changes his life. But changes it how? Does this mean he might possibly have a chance for a relationship with Alex? Or has this completely destroyed any chance of that? He is a father now. A father! A father? What does that even mean? Would Salome accept him as her father? She already has one and even though he hasn’t always done right by Alex, Alex seems to think he is a pretty good father. Should he take him away from Salome? All of this and more is going through his head when Karen says, “So Smithdawg, are you going to go get your woman?”

This wakes Matt out of his thoughts. He opens his mouth with his usual protests but closes it before anything comes out. Things have changed. He’s changed…..could this mean that Alex has changed too. Could this be the time he has been waiting for? He looks over to Karen and says, “Do you think she would really want me?” His voice was small and sounded just a bit afraid.

Karen could see that he was putting his heart out there and that it wasn’t easy for him. She also knew that if this wasn’t the biggest wakeup call ever for these two lovesick idiots then there never will be one. So she tells him will all the courage and sincerity she can muster, “Yes, Matt I think she will!” Matt’s face almost found his smile.

“I’m getting hungry. I thought Darvill would be back with the car by now. Let me go see what I have in the fridge.” she says as she walks to the kitchen. “How’s cold pizza sound?” she yells over her shoulder while standing in front of the refrigerator. 

“Sure Kaz what ever you want.” Matt sat there on the sofa dreaming about what a life with Alex and Salome would look like. Sure he had thought about it before…… a whole lot of times if he was honest but never like this. Never when there was the actual possibility that it could happen. Matt’s face most definitely found his smile.

~~~~~~~~

Arthur woke to a very bright light shining right in his eyes. What is that? he wonders. Oh yeah, the sun. Why is the sun so bloody bright here in California? Just because the sun was a rarity in London, or especially in Cardiff it didn’t have to show off so much by being all this bright and cheery in the morning. Ok, so he wasn’t in a cheery mood. Why is that? Well let’s see. I am sleeping practically sitting up on a not all that comfortable sofa. My friend Alex is laying next to me and oh yeah her entire world just went upside down yesterday. So what is there to be so cheery about huh there sun?

Arthurs mobile started to chirp in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out trying not to disturb Alex. “Kaz, just a minute” he all but whispered into the phone. He slid out away from Alex and into the kitchen. “Yeah, I’m here. Alex is still asleep and I didn’t want to wake her.”

“How’s she doing?” Karen was genuinely concerned, Alex was her friend too.

“Well we talked till quite late but I think she finally found some peace with it all. She finally dozed off some time around 3. How’s he doing?”

“Well, I think he’s past the freaking out phase……now he seems to be in the what ifs stage. I don’t know if I told him the right thing.”

“What did you tell him?” Arthur’s voice is laced with concern.

“I told him that I thought that this was the universes way of telling him that he and Alex were supposed to be together.”

“What did he say to that?”

“Well, based on the lovesick looks he has right now on the sofa I would venture to guess he has mapped out the rest of their lives together for all eternity. So do you think I did the right thing?”

“Oh yes, I absolutely think you did the right thing.” Karen squealed on the other side of the phone.

“So when do you think we should get this two back in the same room?” Karen inquires.

“Let’s get them awake and fed before. It might be safer that way.” Kaz laughs.

“Yeah, maybe those two idiots won’t muck up this chance as well”.

“Yeah, maybe. Well I think I hear Alex stirring in the other room. Let me figure out some breakfast for her and then I’ll text you when were ready. Ok?”

“Sounds good I have already made a delicious breakfast of cold pizza for Smithers in there but maybe I can get him into the shower. He’s getting a little ripe”.

“You are the best when you are in Hostess Mode!”

“Shut up Stupid Face! Text me later.”  
About two hours later Karen receives a text from Arthur: 

I think were ready over here. Should I come get him now? A

Yeah, he’s all cleaned up and starting to get anxious. Best not to delay much longer. K

OK See you in 15 A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .


	10. “I am and always will be the optimist.  The hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are Matt and Alex ready to face each other................... Karen and Arthur sure hope so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 title “I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes   
> and dreamer of improbable dreams.” is a quote from The Almost People

Arthur walked into Karen’s flat. He looked over to Matt and Karen huddled together on the sofa. He gave them a knowing nod. Karen came over to him and gave him a hug. “How is Alex doing?” she whispered into his ear. 

Speaking softly so only Karen could hear he said, “I think she is doing alright. Do you think he is ready to talk to her yet?” They both looked over in the direction of the sofa. Matt was sitting still and quiet. Still and quiet were not adjectives used to describe Matt Smith so needless to say they were both worried.

“Yeah, he’s calmer and he seems a little clearer in the head. I think it would do him good to go talk to Alex.” At the mention of her name, Matt perks up.

“Alex? Arthur, how is Alex?” Matt seems to be coming back to the land of the living.

Arthur walks over to his friend and sits on the table in front of him, “I think she is ready to talk to you about all this. Are you ready, mate? Matt just nods his head. “Ok, let’s get going then.” 

Matt rises from the sofa and gives Karen a big hug before they head to the door. “Thanks Kaz” he says as the boys head out.

On the car ride to Alex’s Matt is the first one to speak. “How is she, really mate?” His eyes staring straight ahead.

Arthur glances in Matt’s direction before replying, “I …I think she is really, really scared right now. Right now she seems to be most afraid that you’re going to hate her.”

Matt whips his head in Arthur’s direction, “I could never hate her!”

“I know that Matt but she doesn’t. Please what ever your thinking, whatever you say, be gentle. She seemed pretty fragile.” 

Matt looked over to Arthur who was giving him his best Daddy Pond face and Matt knew he was serious. “I understand Arthur. I’m just so overwhelmed by all this myself. The last thing I want to do is to lose her in my life but God” running his hand through his hair “……this changes everything………..and I don’t even know what that means.”

“You two will figure this out. You and Alex have a solid friendship and I know you’d like it to be more, maybe this is the beginning of that.”

“Now you are starting to sound like Kaz!” Matt sniggers.

“Well just because she’s Scottish doesn’t mean she is automatically wrong!” They both laugh and Matt realizes this is the first time he has laughed since Alex’s car hit the tree. They were turning onto her street. He began to sturdy himself for what was probably going to be the most important conversation in his entire life. After Arthur pulls in the drive he turns to Matt, “Just take care of each other Matt and I know you will both find a way to work through this.”

Matt nodded and got out of the car. He waved to Arthur as he pulled back out and headed down the road. Matt found himself preparing himself as he might to do a scene. He blew out his breath, stretched his head from side to side, straightened his jacket, and told himself, ‘Alright Smith don’t bugger this up.’ He turned on his heel and stopped dead. There she was standing in the doorway waiting for him. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Okay, kid. This is where it gets complicated.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Okay, kid. This is where it gets complicated.”  
> This quote is from The Big Bang........... as complicated as things have seemed so far you haven't seen anything yet!


	11. “The Eleventh Hour”    “and no one more than me!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Matt and Alex talk about what has transpired.................with each other!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11 title The Eleventh Hour is from the title of Matt Smith's debut as the Doctor called The Eleventh Hour.
> 
> Of course each of you already knew that! 
> 
> I thought it poetic that this chapter which is a beginning of a new Matt and Alex turned out to be #11. So just like The Eleventh Hour was a time of change and a new beginning for the Doctor we will see this as well with Matt and Alex.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He also couldn’t seem to move from his spot in the drive. She was so beautiful. She still took his breath away. ‘Oh bugger Smith I thought we had dealt with these feelings…… put them aside…….. accepted that she was only ever going to be your friend……. your very good friend. Yeah, but that was before. Before you remembered what she felt like…..tasted like…….and the glorious look on her face when she came undone by your touch. All these many years later that memory….. that particular memory is still seared into memory never to be erased. And she wasn’t just a friend anymore, she was also the mother of your child…… child, her child….. my child…… our child.’ 

After several minutes of Matt staring at her like it was the first time he had ever seen her she spoke up, “Are you going to come in darling?”

He jerked back into consciousness, “Yeah, right.”, and began the walk up to the door. When he stood in front of her he said, “Hi Kingston!” and she said “Hello Sweetie!” taking his hand and walking them into the house.

She walks them over to the sofa. Sitting beside each other she still hadn’t let go of his hand. When he looks in her eyes he sees the hurt and sadness put there by so many others. He hopes he doesn’t add to that hurt today. “Alex…. I don’t even know how to begin this conversation. The past two days have been the most overwhelming two days in my entire life.” He pauses.

“Good overwhelming or bad overwhelming?” he was surprised by her question.

“Not sure…..yet.”

“That seems fair. I did throw an awful lot at you at once. Where should we begin?” She is watching him very carefully trying to read him. She can always tell how he is feeling or at least she could but right now she has no idea.

He is thinking of the many questions he has for her and then, “Alex did you ever know it was me?”

She looks confused, “What do you mean?”

“Did you in these past four years that we have known each other know that it was me from so long ago?” he startles himself at how angry this sounds but he has to know.

Alex takes his other hand and positions herself so she is looking him straight in his eyes. “Darling, from the first day I met you on the set of Who I felt like I knew you my whole life. I felt this connection to you that I could never understand. The more I got to know you the more I liked you and then we became friends, really good friends. I felt a kinship with you I have never felt with anyone else. It was certainly different that what I felt for Karen or Arthur but I thought that was just me……………… No, in all this time Matthew I never realized that you were that young man that I met so long ago when my heart was broken. The young man who gave me my greatest gift, my daughter. If I had I might not have fought loving you so hard.”

Matt held her gaze while his eyes filled to the brim, one tear escaping down his cheek. He pulled his hands from hers and rubbed them over his face. He walked across the room staring out the window into the back garden. After a few minutes, “I thought about you.” He glanced in her direction, she was watching him closely, he turned back towards the garden. “For a long time after that summer I thought about you, wondered where you might be. I compared all my girlfriends to you …… and you know they never matched up. I began to think it was just a fantasy. Maybe it had been. It wasn’t until I met you at the read through on Who did I stop thinking of her. I just realized that. Somehow I must have known that you had found me and that I didn’t need the fantasy anymore because I had the real thing. Maybe that is why I fell so hard for you so fast – you’d already had a place in my heart………………… wait a minute.” 

He turns to look at her. “Did you say you fought to love me? You love me?” She walks over to him placing her hands on his chest.

“Matt, I have been trying to convince myself that you and I could never be… the age difference….. my divorces…. Your career.” He places his hands on her arms and starts to say something. “No, let me finish, please?” He closes his mouth and waits. “But the truth is I think I have loved you from the moment we met four years ago and I have just been the silliest woman in the world for not embracing it with everything I have.” Matt’s face starts to grin and despite himself there are still tears gracing his face. He takes her hands in his and pulls them close to his heart. There foreheads are touching as they both are looking at each other. Carefully he brings his lips to hers softly, gently brushing them with his. She pulls him the rest of the way kissing him fully. 

His lips part allowing her to explore his mouth as he explores hers. He wraps his arms around her pulling her tight, her arms flow up his chest to connect around his neck. His caress her back, tracing up and down her spine, settling at her lower back. He can’t stop kissing her, exploring her, wanting her. It doesn’t seem real that he is getting to kiss Alex. She cannot believe that he actually wanted her all this time.

They pull apart their foreheads still touching. “You love me Kingston?” A big smile takes over her face.

“Yes, Matt I really do.” His face turns into an enormous grin.

“I love you, Alex”. He says placing his hands on both sides of her face he kisses her deeply and fully until they have to part to get air. She takes his hand and walks them back to the sofa.

“Why? Why now? Why do you love me now when you couldn’t love me before?”

Alex looks at her hands as she fiddles with the hem of her shirt. “As I have been thinking these past two days about our past connection and our current friendship for the first time I allowed myself to think about a future with you. From talking about this it seems like the universe wanted me to find you. Matt, we have been brought together for a reason in the past and now. Despite my trying to not think of you as anything more than a friend I never have been able to do that. I don’t think I can fight this anymore. Our connection is too strong……… and I don’t want to lose you in my life.”

He pulls her into his embrace and holds her tightly. “I love you Alex” he whispers, placing a kiss below her earlobe, kissing down her neck, across her chin, finally finding her lips again. He cannot not kiss her. Deep kisses that take their breath away, light kisses so that he can touch her and taste her. Now that he is allowed he doesn’t want to stop. 

“Oh Matt, I love you. “ She kisses him back with equal fervor. His kisses ignite her causing a tingling trail that follows his lips. She doesn’t want this to ever stop but…….there is so much more they need to say to each other. She places her hands on his chest to slow him down. “Darling?”

They pull apart. “I think we still have a lot we need to talk about. Maybe I should make some tea so we can finish this conversation.” He nods in agreement. She goes to the kitchen and begins making tea. Matt follows behind her. He watches as she gets out the mugs and puts the tea in the cups like he’s watched her do countless times before but somehow this feels different. This seems more significant. After the tea is made she heads back to the sofa sitting with her feet tucked under her. He sits next to her thinking deeply.

“Penny for your thoughts”, she says.

He looks up from his tea and gives her a smile. “I was just thinking back to …..you know after you hit the tree.”

She smirks, “Yeah!”

“Well, why did you tell me?”

“Why did I tell you I was Sasha or why did I tell you about Salome?”

He stares at her, “Yes”.

“Yes?”

“Yes, both.”

She sits holding her tea breathing in the aroma thinking, “When you told me about your experience I ..I had so many emotions. I was shocked of course, not because you went to a key party, but because your experience sounded exactly like mine. Then my thoughts started racing and I realized that your experience and my experience sounded the same because they were the same experience. I think that’s when I hit the gas and well…. You know what happened next.”

“Yes, a perfectly good tree got in your way!”

She sticks her tongue out at him, “Cheeky bastard!” At the same time him teasing her feels as natural as breathing and it has a calming effect on her.

“As I was sitting in the car after I was just so much in shock and I just had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to tell you. That I wanted you to know that that was me. That we had shared that same experience. I can’t be sure why I just felt like I had to.”

“and Salome?” his face looked so serious when he asked.

She puts down her tea and takes his hand. He puts down his tea and takes her other hand. “At the time of the accident when I told you I can’t be sure. I was in shock and I blurted it out without thinking about it.”

“and now?

“Now, that I have thought about it I think I told you because I want you to be the father of my child.” Tears start again in his eyes but he doesn’t try to hide them this time. “Matt one of my biggest reasons for not allowing us to be more than friends is that I could never give you children. I know you love Salome, you always have. But she would never have truly been yours – now I know she is. And that fills my heart so full that I can’t even breathe.”   
She takes him in her arms and listens while he quietly processes all of this, tears leaking down his face without his permission. She holds him tight rubbing circles on his back. “Alex?” He looks up at her.

“Yes, my love.”

“What do we do now?” He looks so lost. She can see the fear in his eyes. The fear of what will be or what may never be.

“What do you want to do?” she asks soothingly.

He is quiet for a bit. “Stay right here and never ever leave.”

“Well we can do that for a bit Darling but I think eventually we will need food.” He snorted and pulled her closer to him.

After some time she nudged him. “How about some lunch?” He nodded. “You just stay here and I’ll go fix us something.” She kissed his forehead and walked over to the kitchen. 

He sat there for a minute or two his arms feeling quite empty all of a sudden. His eyes gazed in the direction of the ‘Shrine of Salome’. He walked over to it looking at the photos again. Looking for some recognition of himself in the daughter he never knew was his. It still seemed like a not real thought yet. He had known Salome for nearly all of the four years he had known Alex. She came to the set, he played with her at the Cardiff flats, he went on picnics to the park with her and Alex, they even did things together when they were all in London. He had come to their LA home a few times in the last couple of years when he was in town. Sometimes Salome was here and sometimes not. So Salome wasn’t a stranger to him, nor her to him but how was he suppose to become her father…………. What the hell does that even mean?”

He shuffled into the kitchen where Alex was putting together some chicken salad. He walked past her to the refrigerator. Looking at the pictures this time he wanted to know more. He pointed to one where she was sitting on top of a pony trying to figure out how old she would have been. “Alex” she jumped at his voice, she hadn’t even realized that he had gone past her lost in her own thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Where was this picture taken? How old was she?” She walked over to him to see which photo he was looking at.

“Oh that was at one of her friend’s birthday parties I think. She was about 4 I suppose.”

“and this one?” he pointed to the one at the beach next to a lovely castle that she was about to take her shovel to.

“we went down to the ocean one day, not any special day. She was probably a little over a year old in the picture.” Alex had her arm around his back, resting her cheek on his arm as they looked over the pictures together. For Alex it seemed as she saw them also for the first time as she was looking at them through the eyes of her father for the very first time…………… and she was happy ………. and she was sad.

 

They sat in the kitchen to have their lunch. Matt continued with questions about Salome’s life and Alex eagerly answered them. It felt good to have someone who was as interested in her daughter as she was. Her and Florian never had these kinds of conversations anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11 has a second title as well. This quote “And by no one more than me” is from The Wedding of River Song
> 
> It seemed profoundly important to be here and yes it is foreshadowing.


	12. “Every life is a pile of good things and bad things.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 12 title “Every life is a pile of good things and bad things.” is a quote from Vincent and the Doctor

After lunch was finished and the dishes taken care of she took his hand walking them out to the back garden. It was a nice warm California day. It felt good to have the sun on their faces, such a sharp contrast to their many days in a rainy Cardiff. They both were feeling freer and lighter with so much new intimacy between them. She couldn’t help stopping to give him a kiss, just because she wanted to. It wasn’t like he minded. It felt so natural to kiss Alex as he always knew it would. He couldn’t help but wonder how this would change things for them. Could they really have the future that he had so long yearned for, pushed to the back of his mind as the fantasy that he was sure it had to be? She must have sensed his thoughts as they stood looking into each other’s eyes, taking in the aromas of Alex’s flowers around them.

She looks in his eyes with such love and seeing all that love returned. Their hands entwined she says to him “Do you trust me?”

He is a bit concerned at this question but barely skipping a beat he returns with “With everything, Alex, with everything.” She begins to walk towards the house keeping him at her side. “Alex what are you doing?”

“Just trust me, my love.” And he does because he knows he would follow her anywhere. As they are walking up the stairs to her bedroom a smile takes over his face. He knows what they are about to do and he’s ……. well nervous. Of course this is what he wants, has wanted these past four years……. He chuckles to himself….. I guess it’s actually been even longer than that. But how do you live up to a fantasy, a longing, an ache that never seemed to go away? He doesn’t know but he’s damn sure going to try.

They reach the entrance to her bedroom. She stops and puts her arms around his neck pulling him towards her. His arms firmly around her waist he bends down to her waiting lips. He gently presses his lips against hers, ghosting them over hers. His hands have cupped her face as if she is the most precious gift he could ever have been given. Slowly his lips press further into hers, his tongue licking her lips. She parts her lips tasting his lips with her own tongue. Pulling him tighter against her, he deepens the kiss. 

In desperate need of air, they finally part. Panting, Matt presses his forehead to hers. His face scrunches up with thoughts he wishes he didn’t have. He turns his head boring his forehead into hers trying frantically to read her thoughts. Her hands reach for his face trying to bring his lips back to hers. He stares searching her eyes for answers. “Alex, I have to know – do you trust me?”

“Of course I do darling.” She replies not understanding why he still needs to ask.

“I mean do you trust me for…… forever, ‘cause this is what this is for me. I can’t just have you for one night; I want you for always, for forever. This to me is the beginning of us. I couldn’t bear to only be your friend again. Tell me this is what you want to?” His eyes were pleading with her, praying that she felt the same.

Matt watches her intently looking searching for the answer he so wants to see. Alex caresses his face with her hands kissing each cheek. “Matt I trust you with everything I have; my life, my daughter, and my heart.” Matt inhales. He knows how fiercely she has guarded her heart for so very long. She kisses his nose. “You know me better than anyone ever has and yet you never left, never faltered in being there for me, even when I really didn’t deserve you.” Each eyelid receives a feather kiss. “I love you so deeply that it scares me to my core but I also know that I have no reason to fear.” She brushes his lips with light kisses. “You will not hurt me, ever. I want you now and always, forever if we can be so bold. Please darling let me show you how very much you mean to me.”

“…..and I you!” Their lips close in on one another, exploring, tasting. His hands comb through her hair letting the sensual curls flow through his fingers. She has reached for his hair, missing it so much, caressing what is there and remembering what had been.

His lips continue down her neck being thwarted by way too much clothing. Regrettably he must release her curls from his hands. His hands trace her back, committing each change in elevation to his memory. Upon reaching the hem of her shirt his hands duck under to again memorize her body with the new sensation of his hand in contact with her skin. The feeling is electrifying. Each new stirring causes him to believe that he could not feel anything more, until the next feeling comes and is even more intense. His mind seems to disconnect with his body. He is still there but not really in control any longer. His fingers begin to slowly undo the buttons of her shirt from the bottom up. His lips can’t seem to get enough of her tastes. He nibbles on her earlobe, sucks on the skin behind it causing her to gasp, continues to lick, nip, and kiss down her neck, across her clavicle, to the other side with equal favor. He never strays too far from her lips which he needs to kiss as often as possible. As he unbuttons the last button, he slowly begins to peel the fabric away from her body. With each new reveal of flesh he anoints it with his mouth.

Alex is becoming dizzy with the overwhelming sensations. She has never before felt feelings this intense. As the fabric begins to fall off her shoulders he steps back to admire her. “God you are gorgeous!” Alex begins to sway without his physical closeness for support. He picks her up in his arms, carrying her over to the bed. Gently he places her beneath him continuing to admire her trying to believe that this was real and not the fantasy he had carried with him for so very long.

She reaches up for him. Kneeling on the bed his body hovering over hers he brings his lips to hers. Her hands stroke his hair pulling him in tighter until there is no separation between him. She feels his body against hers; his taunt muscles, his strong chest, and something quite firm in his trousers. Her own arousal is deepened by feeling her affect on him. “Do you know what you do to me?”

“I think I do now!” She reaches down to stroke him. He jolts at her touch. It’s like every fantasy he has ever had coming at once and it is so overwhelming and yet he couldn’t stop if he tried.

His lips travel down her neck enjoying the unencumbered skin. He brushes his lips at the edge of her lace bra. A smile comes to his lips as he hears Alex’s breathe catch. “I think I know what I do to you as well!” he smirks. He expects her to swat him but instead she hoists her hips into his causing small flashes around his eyes. “Oh two can play at that you know?” His hands unclasp her bra in the front and slowly, painfully slow pulls the fabric away from her breasts. He nips and kisses each new reveal of flesh until her nipples are exposed. She feels electrified with each touch of his lips.

His nose brushes the nipple, his breath tingles; his tongue reaches out to taste her. She is exquisite. Nipping her breast, he then licks all around it, finally taking it in his mouth. Alex gasps and squirms beneath him. “I want you!”

“And you will have me.”

“Now, I want you now!”

“Alex my love we have waited so long for this I want us to remember it always. You’re going to have to trust me.” His lips take hers again kissing her fully and deeply. A moan from deep within her acknowledges her agreement.

She reaches under his shirt pushing it upward. “I want to feel you next to me.” He releases her to pull it over his head and tosses it to the floor. He pulls her into a tight embrace feeling her hardened nipples against his own chest. He nips behind her ear and quickly moves down to her exposed chest. He sucks on the left one then leaves a trail of kisses to the right. Her hands are trying to feel as much of him as she can reach. As he continues leaving kisses across her stomach he replaces his mouth with his hands squeezing and massaging her breasts. He can’t help but note how perfectly they fit in his hands, as if they were made just for him.

He nips and sucks and kisses along the skin just above her jeans. His hands leave her breasts to unbutton her jeans and ever so slowly pull down the zipper on them. Alex thinks she is going to go insane. How can he be so patient? She wants to rip his clothes off of him and have her way with him but she can see how immensely loved and cherished his approach is making her feel. She flashes back to their first time at how gentle a lover he had been. He didn’t even know her then. Matt wants her to know how much he treasures her especially now. 

He rises off the bed to pull her jeans down her legs. She moans at the loss of contact with him. Before the jeans reach the floor, he is back in her arms. Her lips are red and full and ever so inviting as his mouth angles over hers and tastes her tongue with his own. She can feel his erection through his own jeans as he presses himself into her.

Her patience be damned. Wrapping her legs around him she manages to flip him on his back grinding herself over his rather engorged self. He breaks the kiss panting, “Alex, love take it easy I won’t be long if you keep that up.” Sitting astride him she looks at him with such lustful intent – that is when she catches herself in the mirror. She is naked except for her knickers and her skin is oh so flushed and she looks happy. That’s when she gets an idea. He sees the look on her face and wonders what she is up to.

Before he can ask she has released his jeans and pulled them to the floor. Quickly his pants are lying on top of his jeans. She takes his hands lifting him up, “Move over here darling.” He complies. “Move off the bed more with your head.” He looks at her confused but she has a fierce look so he complies. That is when he sees the mirror out of the corner of his eye. A smile breaks across his face. Looking in the mirror he can see Alex crawling up his body tasting him from his ankles to his knees to his thigh, then his inner thigh. She spends a little time on his inner thigh. He can feel his cock straining wanting her to kiss it, touch it but she doesn’t. She continues her expedition to taste every ounce of flesh on his body. As she makes her way to his chest her lower body can’t help to make contact with his very erect cock. He gasps and begins to make sounds that make it impossible to continue her exploration.

She immediately retreats down, down watching him in the mirror seeing the satisfaction on his face when he realizes that he will be getting the attention that he so desires. Sucking the skin across his stomach she allows her breasts to graze his cock causing his breath to hitch each and every time. He reaches down to her running his hands through her curls. “Alex” it almost sounds like begging. Sneaking a peak in the mirror she winks at him before directing her lips from his stomach. She changes to light feather kisses along his shaft, around it, and across his balls. His breath has become rapid and his erection firm and straight. 

Gently she wraps her hand around his base while licking the shaft up and down, licking across his slit tasting the juices spilling out. Matt is having a hard time keeping his eyes open the sensations are so strong. He wants to watch her but he is trying to not have this end too soon. It is difficult to maintain both at the same time. While he is contemplating how much longer he can last she envelopes his cock in her mouth. He almost explodes right then. He forces his eyes open to watch her and to not focus too intensely on the feelings he is having. Her tongue is doing amazing things, things he cannot even describe. 

Watching her in the mirror he can see her own pleasure in pleasuring him and that turns him on even more. She takes him as fully in her mouth as she can slipping him in and out of her lips, his hands pulling on her hair and trying to remain focused on their images in the mirror. When she reaches down to squeeze his balls it is one sensation too many, “Alex I can’t any longer….”. She sucks him harder with her lips and he cannot hold back any longer releasing himself within her. He watches himself as he spasms off the bed and she never lets him go taking him all in. As his orgasm begins to ebb she releases his cock, licking her lips, and smiling down at him. He scoots down on the bed pulling her up to him taking her lips in his tasting himself on her.

Holding her face in his hands he pulls back to look at her. His eyes are dark and his lips form the largest of grins. “You are amazing Alex.” He leans in and covers her face with kisses. “I love you so much – do you know how much?” his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him.

“Maybe you would like to show me.” She purrs into his ear. That is all the encouragement he needs. He pulls her up so that he can reach her nipples with his mouth. Her back arches allowing access while she watches him nibble at her in the mirror. He licks at the tip making it hard with his tongue before taking much of it within his lips for a long suckle. Alex let’s out a whimper then a moan. He begins to feel the heat reviving his manhood. His arms reach down to her arse, pinching them and pulling her closer to him. He rolls them over kissing her parted lips, charting a new pathway with his kisses from her lips down her neck through the valleys of her breasts and across her tight abdomen, He rests his chin on her stomach looking up at her. She looks down at him with a curious look. “What?” she has to wonder.

“I was just remembering you. How different you looked and yet how the same you feel. I don’t know how I never realized it was you.” He muses to her.

“Well to be fair darling, you haven’t seen me like this since that first night.” She smirks.

“That is true but I know your scent. It is intoxicating to me.” She smiles at him gently combing her fingers through his hair. “Lie over the edge so you can see. I want you to see yourself when you come undone for me.” She moves where she can see him hovering over her, her face is flush, and her breasts are taunt.

On all fours he leaves a wet trail across her abdomen and down her thighs. The coolness on her skin causes her to shiver. She tries to keep her hands on him but he is just out of reach so she grips onto the bedcover. Feeling his hot breath come near her clit she can’t help herself and her hips rise up to meet him. Gently he places his hands on her hips and brings her back to the bed while leaving small light kisses at her apex. She can see the red rising up her chest as she looks on in the mirror watching him as his tongue laps at her folds. Her gasp surprises her and she giggles. His lips surround her sex with his tongue venturing deeper inside. 

Despite his holding her hips she is still continues to writhe about. His tongue inside her feels so good but she wants more, she wants him inside her. “Matt, please?” His hand that had been gently stroking her thigh moves and without warning he pushes two fingers within her walls. Her eyes widen as she watches his actions in the mirror and her reactions as he strokes in and out of her. She’s not sure how much longer she can last when he curls his fingers inside her hitting all the right spots. She rides his hand wanting as much contact as possible. Looking up to see her in the mirror he continues to bring her to the brink and then removes his fingers to slow her down. Just when she thinks she cannot possibly take it any longer he plunges inside her and brings his mouth to her clit. Sucking it hard while pushing farther and farther inside her, takes her over the edge. He feels her insides spasm around his hand and hears her breath hitch. She sees the glorious way she looks at his touch. He slowly removes his fingers taking them to his own mouth to suck on them. He moves to rest his head across her chest.

Her arms make their way around his shoulders and his back playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He lies there listening to the beat of her heart reviving him. He pulls her down the bed so her head is no longer off the side. Slowly he kisses a path up to her mouth. “You.” “are.” “so.” “beautiful.” He says between kisses. He is smiling and wriggling on top of her. She can feel his erection pushing into her thigh. Without any pretense he slowly pushes inside her, a little at a time with his eyes locked onto hers the whole time. When he is fully inside her she reaches up to him and pulls his lips to hers. He finds a slow steady rhythm. He pulls back from her lips, he can’t take his eyes off of her face, delighting in the way her face says I love you as he deepens their physical connection. Each time she moves her hips against him he thinks he will die of happiness. 

Reaching for him she wants more of him, all of him, as close as possible. Wanting to see her face he hovers just above, not quite enough touching for her. “Matt, I ….want ….you …..close.” His desire to give her whatever she wants supersedes his desire to watch her as he slowly makes love to her. His arms tighten around her as little to no space is between them. He cannot deny himself her kisses when her lips are so close. His lips on hers, his tongue entwined with hers, tasting each other, wanting each other, it feels as if they will swallow each other whole to get enough of one another.

Bringing her legs around his hips, she locks her ankles together. With this new angle and undeniable physical closeness his pace becomes faster, driving into her a little harder with each stroke. They both try frantically to feel as physically close to the other as possible and yet the craving still persists. As the rhythm becomes frantic and immensely heated they can feel that connection through their bodies, their hearts, and their minds. It is at that moment that her orgasm explodes around him, clenching his cock as he continues to drive within her. He too follows her with his own orgasm setting off deep within her. 

He needs air as he pants through his wave of bliss and moves his head to her shoulder. He can hear her jagged breathes against his face. She holds him tightly not wanting him to move an inch, and he isn’t sure he could if he wanted to……….and he doesn’t want to.

After a few minutes he begins to move, she tightens her embrace, “Don’t go!”. It almost sounds desperate in the asking.

“Never love, I will stay here forever if you want.” He smiles at her with that goofy grin he sometimes has.

She blushes and hides her face in his chest. It’s not like her to sound so needy and yet she needs this, she needs him, how did she ever deny herself this for so long. Lying near his chest she can hear the rapid beat of his heart and it soothes her and soon her own heart beats in tandem with his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time I have ever published a love scene. I have been pretty nervous about this. I hope it conveys all that it needs to for their story to move forward. This is only the beginning for Matt and Alex. They have much more yet to experience before this tale is done.


	13. “There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are.  This is not one of them.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.....big decisions to be made.....futures to be planned!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13 title “There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay   
> exactly the way they are. This is not one of them.” is a quote from the episode Cold Blood.

They lie in each others arms their hands exploring each other as if to memorize what each other feels like. The smiles never leaving their faces. They reach for each others hand, entwining their fingers together and gazing into each other’s eyes. It is how they fall asleep with the knowledge that they will always be together and that fate or destiny may have brought them to this point in time but that nothing would ever take them away from each other again. In the words of the Doctor they were a fixed point and that together they will find a solution to any obstacle. 

 

Alex woke to a slightly darken room. It took her a minute to process where she was and why it seemed to be getting dark. As the memory returned to her a smile creped across her face and she turned to see that Matt was on his side watching her. “Hello Beautiful!”

She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips pulling back just to look at him. She had this silly grin on her face and he made a face at her as if to ask “what?”. “I am just so happy, so deliriously happy and I can’t believe I ever resisted you this long. Whatever was I thinking?”

With eyes full with love he said to her “that you were scared.”

That surprised her, “How did you know?”

“I’ve always known. It was the main reason I held back for so long. You weren’t ready. You were afraid that I would do what the others had done to you, break your heart.” She nodded. How did he know her so well? Had he really paid that close attention?

“Alex I fell for you that first day in Cardiff. Now I know it was probably before that even. But from that first day I have done everything I could think to get you to notice me. And when you were sad I did everything that I could think of to take that sadness away, even if it meant flailing my body across the set sacrificing perfectly good coffee.”

“Wait, you did that on purpose?” she asked incredulously.

“Well, not all the time!” They snickered. He pulled her closer to him so that their noses were nearly touching. “Alex I ached for you. Drove Kaz and Arthur crazy most of the time. I was absolutely unbearable when you would leave. I don’t know how they didn’t beat me senseless, although Kaz did try a couple of times.” They snickered again. “It seemed like it was never the right time…… then as our time together on Who seemed to be coming to an end…….. it didn’t seem like it was ever going to be the right time. I tried to convince myself that I would just be your friend, your very good friend. And when I came here to see you that was who I was trying to be - your friend but Alex I don’t want to be your friend. I can’t ever just be your friend again.” The smile on her face seemed to widen and her eyes sparkled just a little brighter.

“I love you Alex and I can’t only have part of you ever again.”

“What is it that you are saying?”

“I am saying that I want you in every way with everything for as long as you will have me.”

“Oh”, she inches a little closer, “well in that case I hope you don’t have any other plans.”

“Plans? For how long?”

“How does forever sound?” With that he pulls her as tight as humanly possible taking her lips in his and pouring forever into his kiss. She responds with equal zeal. Their kiss continues throughout their bodies as they make love well into the night time. 

When they awake it is completely dark in the room with only the sounds of their breathing to be heard. They hold each other with the knowledge that this is their beginning, no matter how many other beginnings they may have had. This one, this was the beginning point. Their thoughtful musings were interrupted by Matt’s stomach grumbling. 

She laughs. “Sorry love I think all this…. activity has made me a bit peckish. 

“Well then I better feed you. I don’t want you to wither away.” She starts to get out of the bed but he pulls her back into his arms.” “Matt let me go get us some food.”

“You promise you will come back?” He sounds so much like a little boy when he asks that it breaks her heart. Of course he is afraid that she will leave. That’s what she does – she leaves. But not anymore and he needs to know that.

She sits back down on the bed looking down at him. Placing her hand on his cheek, “Matt I know I gave you reason to doubt that I would ever come back but that was when I was scared. I’m not scared anymore. The one thing I know to be true is that I love you and that I need you more than breathing and that I will never ever leave you again.” He pulls her to him crashing his lips on hers pulling her tighter in his embrace. “Except to get food, which I must do!”

He laughs and let’s her go. He watches as she pulls on her robe and sashays out the door. A moment later she pops around the door, “Miss me yet?”

He grins, “Always, love, always”.

 

She heads to the kitchen to find sustenance and he lies there in her bed thinking about the days and the nights since he first arrived in LA. Has it only been 3 days ago? How could so much have changed in such a short period of time? He reached over to put on the light next to the bed. Underneath the lamp was a picture of Salome with Alex. She looked to be about eight in the picture, about the time he first met her. He was staring at the picture when Alex returned with a tray in her hands. She watched him from the doorway for a few minutes before he noticed her there. He put the picture back on the nightstand and made room for her and the tray on the bed. They continued the silence while they drank tea and nibbled on toast and fruit.

Finally he spoke, “Wasn’t Salome supposed to come back today?”

Alex was brought back from her thoughts, “Yes, she was but I didn’t think we were ready to have her here yet. I asked Florian to keep her a few more days. I will have to pick her up on Wednesday as he has a business trip on Thursday.”

“What…. What do we say to her?” the look in his eyes was unmistakable – he was frightened, properly frightened. She just wasn’t sure of what.

“What would you like to say to her?” she asks while pretending to put jam on her scone.

He’s almost trembling. “I want to tell her I’m her dad!” Alex lets out a breath she didn’t even know she had held in. 

Taking his hand she tells him, “Then you shall.” His face has all of the delight on it as a five year old on Christmas morning and then…….. all the sadness of not getting the one thing he wanted for Christmas overtakes it.

“But Alex won’t she hate me?”

Alex thinks for a moment before answering, “She won’t hate you Darling but it is going to take her some time to adjust to the idea. She has thought of Florian as her father for a long time.”

He sits fidgeting with his hands, occasionally running his hands through his hair. She knows him. She knows he is thinking hard about something and she leaves him to his thoughts. He has a lot about this to work out for himself.

Quietly he asks, “Is he a good father to her?”

She seems surprised by this question, not expecting to be talking about Florian. “He is. He was a very good father to her. He provided her with a stable life when I could not with all my traipsing around the world for my career. He even cut back on his work so he could be there for her, maybe to make up for the times I wasn’t. He gives her the freedom to be who she will be but created a sense of calm and reassurance in her life by having structure and rules. I have to say I’m not very good with structure and rules, always breaking them. She adores him although now that she’s ready to enter the teenage years I think there may be a bit of protesting to the rules and structure. He has been a good father to our daughter.”

The stillness in the air could be felt as well as heard since she spoke last. He did not try to break the silence but sat with his thoughts for a good long while before he spoke up.

In an almost inaudible voice he said, “Then how can I take him away from her?”

Her heart was breaking for him. She reached over, gathering him in his arms, almost knocking over the tray. For the, who knows, lost count time this week water was pouring from his eyes again. For a man who didn’t cry he was certainly doing a lot of it. Maybe this is what being a parent was…… an awful lot of crying. He had seen Alex do her share of crying over her daughter. They laid there holding each other, Alex rubbing circles on his back reassuring him that everything would be alright.

When he seemed to regain his composure she asked, “So what are you thinking Darling?”

Rubbing the wet from his face, he took a deep breath, “How can I break her heart for my own selfish reasons?”

“I don’t think it is selfish to want her to know you as her father.” She held him close to her chest as they talked.

“But isn’t it? What can I give her?”

She pulls back to look into his eyes, holding his face with her hands. “Oh Matt, she adores you. She already loves you. Don’t you know how happy you already make her? Make us?”

He puts his head back onto Alex’s chest and she combs her fingers through his hair. “But is that being a Dad? I’m just Matty, big clumsy adult friend. I would be a rubbish father.”

This time when she pulls back, she holds his face very firmly, “Matthew Robert Smith I will hear not one more word from you about being a rubbish father.” Then more softly, “you would be, you already are the most wonderful dad. I watch you with Salome and my heart breaks. It is so easy for you, maybe because a part of you has never grown up.” He starts to say something but she places her finger on his lips. “I know I tease you about being childish but honestly it is one of your most endearing qualities. I love how you can look at something with the glee of a five year old but with the perspective of an adult. It’s almost because you are older you realize what a precious gift it is. Something you might take for granted when you’re five. It’s the reason you are so convincing as a thousand year old alien and yet look and act so young.” She let’s her words settle before continuing. 

“Whenever I tried to convince myself that you and I could never be…..” He turned to look at her face as she spoke. “I always thought of how amazing a father you would be. Whenever I would see you with Salome, or other children on set, or when we saw fans. The utter joy on your face when you talk with a child kept telling me I couldn’t deny you that experience. If there is anything in this world I am sure of Matt – you would be the best dad any child could ask for.” She looks down in his eyes as she finishes her words.

His face seems more content. He whispers to her, “Thank you Alex.” And pulls her closer to him.

She looks over to the clock on the nightstand, it’s well past 2 in the morning. “Matt we don’t have to decide everything right now. I think we should get some sleep and we can be fresh in the morning.” He nods his head into her chest. “Ok, well let me just take the tray back to the kitchen and I will be right back.” He doesn’t want to let her go but she nudges him, “I promise – I will be right back.” He reluctantly lets her go.

 

The next morning he wakes to light streaming in around the drapes. Again why is the sun so damn bright in California? California, right? He quickly replays the last few days in his head getting his brain up to speed. He reaches behind him for Alex but the bed is cold. He quickly turns to confirm that she is indeed not there. Sitting up he looks around the room, yes, this is her bedroom but she’s not here. Panic starts to overtake him. He jumps out of bed racing down the hall calling her name, “Alex!”

“In the kitchen”, she casually replies.

He comes skidding to a halt in the doorway of the kitchen relieved that she is indeed still here. She turns to look at him and her breath catches. In his panic, he forgot that he was completely naked and well it being morning, and he missed her well let’s just say some parts of him were more awake than others.

She rakes her eyes over him “So did you miss me Darling?” Her eyes stopping at a point quite a distance below his eyes. He looks down and realizes for the first time that he is completely naked but decides this might be a good way to cover up his earlier panic.

“Yes, so much!” as he strides across the room and takes her in his arms his mouth on hers letting her know that he will always miss her and that she should never go too far from him again. He coaxes her back to bed despite her protests of breakfast being ruined. She wasn’t really that upset about it.

As they hold each other she declares, “Well I really must get a shower and I am just starving so I need to see what I can salvage from breakfast.” He protests but she reminds him, “We need to keep our strength up Darling” and gives him a wink. She saunters over to the bathroom while purring over her shoulder, “Care to join me?” He was out of the bed in less that a second grabbing her from behind and carrying her to the shower.

She goes to the kitchen to resuscitate breakfast while he finishes up in the bathroom. He comes into the kitchen freshly showered and shaved but still wearing the same clothes he showed up to her door in some three days ago. He watches from the doorway as she adeptly commands her kitchen, not unlike how River commands the TARDIS. He smiles as he watches. She is humming to herself and is completely oblivious to him watching her. As she is taking scones from the oven she catches a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. “Stop staring at my arse!”

“Make me” he retorts.

“Maybe I will” she chimes back and just like that things are normal again and yet not normal cause now he can waltz across the floor, take her into his arms, and put his hands on said arse and there is nothing either of them will do to stop it. 

“Good Morning, Kingston!” he quietly says rubbing his nose against hers.

“Hello, Sweetie!” pulling him in for a good morning kiss. It almost lingers too long when they both notice a strange smell. They look over just as the potholder she had been using to get out the scones catches fire while laying on the open door of the oven. Matt quickly grabs a glass, filling it with water, and speedily puts it out. He carefully picks up the mitt throwing it into the sink before shutting the oven door.

Alex can’t help be impressed with the agility that he pulled off such a feat. “Darling, I didn’t know you could be so…. So swashbuckling!”

“Swashbuckling! Well can’t say I’ve heard that ever used to describe me.” He looks over to the offending oven mitt smoldering in the sink. “I guess you could say I have a lot of practice with disasters.”

She chuckles, “Yes, you do my dear, yes you do. But I am glad to see you are learning from them. It’s very dadlike don’t you think?”

Stepping back from her with both hands at the side of her shoulders he looks at her with all seriousness, “Do you really think so?”

“Yes, dear. I really think so.” He holds her close again and can’t seem to get the smile to stop from his face.

 

They eat brunch at the kitchen table, enjoying each others company. Their conversation falls back into the comfortable topics that they usually discuss when they are together. It seems as if nothing has changed and then he reaches across the table lacing his fingers through hers as they talk and it is obvious that everything has changed as well. That it may be possible to be the best of friends and lovers (and apparently parents as well).

After lunch they walk in the garden again, Alex pointing out flowers and telling him the names of them. Sometimes there’s a story behind them why she planted them, or how much dirt Salome and her got on themselves in the process. He just drinks it in like a man who hasn’t drunk in a week. They sit in the chairs on the patio and enjoy the sun on their faces. Their hands are still entwined but they keep to their thoughts.

After a long while, Matt sits up looking at Alex. “Alex, I need to discuss an idea I have and for you to let me know what you honestly think about it.” She sits up moving to watch his face as he proceeds. “Now I need you to promise that you will tell me what you really think not just what you think I want to hear. Is that understood?”

She nods, “Yes, I will”.

He places his hands under his chin with a quite serious look upon his face. Alex can’t help to be nervous wondering what is going on in his head. “I have been thinking a lot about Salome today. It’s hard to think of anything else. I’ve thought about the time her and I have spent together. You know I think I loved that kid from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Kinda like her mother that way.” He gives her a grin and a wink. His playful flirting helps her to breathe a little easier. 

“I have enjoyed every minute I have spent with her, even the “you shouldn’t have given her cotton candy and then let her ride Tilt-a-Whirl incident.” Alex giggled remembering how sick Salome had gotten on that ride and unfortunately for Matt it mostly landed on him. “I want to be her father. I want her to know I am her father. But can I really be that selfish?”

Alex’s face is full of concern and confusion. “What do you mean Darling? How is that being selfish?”

“Ok, I am trying to think of this from Salome’s point of view. She has had a pretty good life with a father that provides a good solid lifestyle for her and a mother who adores her and shows her the world. If I tell her I am her father I shatter that. Her world will be gone. I don’t think I could bring that much pain to her. I don’t think I can.”

“What are you saying Darling? Are you saying you don’t want to be her father?”

“No! Never! Of course, I want to be her father but what right do I have to upturn her entire existence to be that. If I was her I would just want to hate me for taking her father away and destroying her life.”

Alex thinks hard about his words. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he had a valid point. No matter how much her daughter likes Matt, losing Florian would be quite a blow to her. With her being in the UK more and more she spends proportionally more time with him that with her. He is her rock and her stability. What would she be without that? But what about Matt? Doesn’t he have the right to know her as his daughter as well?

“I can understand your point Matt. It would be hard for Salome to lose Florian in her life but he could still be a part of her life if that is what she wanted.”

“Yes, he could but would that be enough for her? Would he even want to still be in her life when he finds out he is not her father?”

She hadn’t thought of that. She hadn’t really thought much about Florian’s reaction in all of this. He still didn’t know that she had cheated on him during their marriage and he certainly had no idea that he had been raising another man’s child all these years. Oh this was such a mess.

“I just don’t think I could break her heart like that Alex. I just don’t. I keep thinking if my dad had come to me when I was 12 years old and said hey I’m not really your dad that I would have been incredibly messed up. My dad was so important to me growing up and he still is. Him and I can get together and discuss almost anything while watching a football game. It drives my mum crazy because she can’t figure out how we can have a conversation and follow every play but we just do. It’s a rhythm we started when I was a kid. She would lose that and despite me wanting that with her I would never be able to get that with her. She would always resent me and we would never be able to have a real relationship.”

She can’t believe how calm he is being about all of this. Personally her insides are going in many different directions and can’t seem to agree on one. How can he so calmly discuss this? “So Matt, it sounds like you already have made some kind of decision?”

He thinks for a moment, “Yeah, I suppose I have.”

She leans over and takes his hands in hers, “Care to share?”

“We can’t tell her Alex.” Alex gasps and he grasps her hands tighter. “It doesn’t mean I don’t love her or I don’t want to be as involved in her life as she will allow but we can’t tell her I am her father. I can’t break her heart like that. I won’t.”

She goes onto her knees in front of him and takes him in her arms. They hold each other for what seems a very long time. When she pulls back from him, she looks him in the eye with such love, more than she even thought possible. “See you have already proven my point Matthew Smith. You are the most wonderful father in the world. How many men would sacrifice their own happiness by only thinking of their child’s?” She rests her hands on his cheeks and looks at him intently, “Are you really sure this is what you want to do?”

He leans down and kisses her sweetly looking at her with all the love he has for her and his child, “Yes Alex, I believe this is the right thing.”

“Oh you really are my impossible man aren’t you!” She kisses him and it turns into lovemaking. 

After dinner they are resting on the patio sofa lying in each other’s arms just happy to be with one another. Out of the blue Alex says “I think I need to tell Florian though.”

Matt raises his head to look up at her. “You need to tell Florian what?”

Alex sits up so she can look in his face. “I’ve been thinking about our conversation earlier. I understand your reasons for not telling Salome and I am so grateful that her heart is already so precious to you. But I was thinking that for a lot of reasons I must tell Florian the truth.”

“Alex, isn’t that just going to cause problems for everyone especially Salome. What if he doesn’t want to be her father after that?”

“I’ve thought about that and I don’t think that will happen. He loves that child to distraction. I can’t see him abandoning her, I really can’t. But I have been lying to him all these years. That’s not fair to him.”

“But Alex isn’t that the same as what we were talking about earlier. It’s going to relieve you of the guilt but isn’t it only going to make him feel worse? Why would you want to do that?”

“It’s not that I want to Matt but I believe I need to.”

“Why do you feel you need to, love?” he asks curiously.

“Matt I understand your reasons for not telling Salome the truth but you still want to have a relationship with her, correct?” He nods. “Well I can’t let Florian get in the way of that. Right now he has more say in where she goes and when than I do. He could keep you from her forever he if wanted to.”

Matt looks down at the patterns he has been tracing along her arm. “Yes, I suppose that is true. Florian has been a little difficult with arrangements with you before. I can’t imagine he would be all that keen on me having a big part in her life. I guess I have to agree with you. I just hope he doesn’t take it out on Salome by pulling out of her life.”

“Oh you sweet, sweet man! Only you could have sympathy for the man who has been raising your child all these years. Could you be more perfect?”

He blushes. “When would you tell him?”

“I was thinking I should tell him tomorrow before I pick up Salome. You’re going to want to spend time with her when she gets back and I don’t want him to come between you and her. I think it is going to have to be tomorrow.”

The patterns he is drawing on her leg seemed to have taken all his interest. He looks up at her. “Would you like me to go with you?”

She pulls him tighter. “I appreciate the offer sweetie but this is going to be a hard enough conversation as it is. It’s probably best to not have his replacement watching.”

He chokes up. “Yes, you’re probably right about that. Sorry wasn’t thinking.”

“Oh Sweetie, you don’t have anything to apologize for. You are being so generous where most men would never be. You love your child so much you are willing to keep the person she has known as her father still in her life. Do you have any idea how rare that is?”

“I just want her to be happy, Alex.”

“I know you do ~ that’s how I know you are going to be a fantastic father to our little girl.” She holds him tight.

As she pulls back she kisses him softly on the lips before letting out a sigh, “Well, I think I best call him to set up a time to talk tomorrow. I want to make sure we have plenty of time before Salome gets home from school. Are you going to be alright?”

He takes her hand in his. “Yes, I think I will. I probably should call Kaz and Arthur and give them an update.” She gave him a funny look but didn’t say anything. She starts back inside the house. “Alex, you don’t mind if I tell them do you?”

She stops and walks back to him. “I’ll admit it makes me a bit nervous that if we are not telling Salome that others besides you and I know but Karen and Arthur are our very good friends. I trust that they will keep our secret if that is what we ask them to do. It might even help to have someone else to talk to. Just please make sure they know how important it is that no one else know. Ever!”

“I will and I think we can trust them with this. They are our best friends.”

“Yes, they are.” And she heads into the house to call Florian. Oh how she was not looking forward to that conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .


	14. “I could do with a ridiculous miracle about now.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has a very difficult conversation with Florian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14 title “I could do with a ridiculous miracle about now.” is a quote from The Big Bang

Alex arrives at Florian’s house about half past noon. That should give them a little over two hours before Salome is expected. She hopes it will be enough time. She knocks on the door and waits. Florian greets her and ushers her in. He offers her tea as he knows that will make her feel at home. They chat about his upcoming trip while he prepares the tea. They sit at the table sipping the calming brew each feeling a bit out of place. This is the longest they have been in the same room together without having Salome as a buffer. 

Alex let’s out a breath and begins. “Florian I have something of great importance I need to talk about with you today. I’m afraid you not going to be happy with me when I am finished but it needs to be said. It is something I should have told you a long time ago.” Florian puts his tea on the table. Alex has his full attention. “Florian back when we were trying to have a baby you remember how my hormones would cause my moods to go all over the place?” He nodded not sure where this conversation was going to go. “Well, I don’t know if you remember this or not but you had gone on a business trip but I thought you had left me – for good. Do you remember that?”

“Yeah, sort of. You seemed distraught and then shocked when I came back home.”

“Yeah that sounds like me. I was distraught. I thought you have left me for sure. I went to that dark place like when Ralph left. A friend of mine was afraid I might try something stupid so he suggested I do something less stupid (his opinion anyways). So I went out with the intention of having a one-night stand with some random person.” She waits while her words settle in.

She hears his breath clinch. “Did you? Did you have a one-night stand?”

“Yeah, I did.” He rises from the table and walks over to the French doors leading to the patio. He doesn’t want to look at her right now. “I guess I thought I was getting back at you for leaving me but then when I got home and there you were. I felt like such a fool. I just wanted to hurt myself for being so foolish.”

He continues to stare out into the garden, “Alex why are you telling me this now?”

She’s glad he has his back to her, it makes it easier somehow not having to look in his eyes while she breaks his heart. “I’m telling you now because….. because he is the reason I got pregnant.” She watches as his shoulders slump forward. She knows she is breaking his heart and it breaks hers too but he has to know. It doesn’t stop the tears from flowing from her own eyes.

“I know Alex.” He says stoically while continuing to stare at some vastly interesting point in the garden. 

Through her tears she is sure that she heard him wrong, what did he say again?

“What did you say?”

He turns resting his hands on the back of the chair for support as he looks over to her. “I know. I’ve known for a while now.”

“What? How?” He doesn’t answer but turns and walks from the room. She sits at the table tears flowing, feeling the worst wife ever, and also a little angry because what he knew. How did he know? How long has he known? What the hell is going on here?

Florian walks back into the kitchen. He has a piece of paper in his hand. He sits back in his seat across from her. The paper is on the table in front of him, his left hand resting on top of it.

“After we had Salome remember we tried for a second child?” She just nods. “Well we weren’t having any luck and it was all so frustrating. The doctor suggested that I have my sperm tested again since he felt your eggs weren’t a problem. We were both shocked when it came back that I was sterile.” Alex sat up, wiping the water from her cheeks, listening intently. “I suppose you can imagine I didn’t take that all that well. I’d asked the doctor why it was possible before but not now. What had changed? The doctor didn’t really want to answer but eventually admitted that your pregnancy was not the result of IVF and that she just assumed we had slipped up and had sex. Since I knew we hadn’t….. I had to find out. So I had a paternity test run.” Alex gasped and her hand went to her mouth. He pushed the paper over to Alex’s side of the table. “It said without a doubt that I wasn’t Salome’s father.”

Alex wasn’t sure she wanted to read what was on the paper but she felt she had to. She opened it and read that Salome was her biological child but that her father was not Florian. She just stared at it.

“Oh Florian, I am so sorry.” She reached over the table to cover his hand but he pulled it back away from her.

“I imagine you are Alex but what’s done is done. You still haven’t told me why you are telling me this now? Do you plan on using this information to take Salome away from me?”

“No! No Florian, that is not at all what this is about.” She hears him let out a heavy sigh.

She leans forward on the table so that he can see her face. She needs him to hear the sincerity in her words. “Florian I want you to know that no matter what this piece of paper says you will always be Salome’s father. Do you understand me?”

He nods, he eyes glistening. He wills himself not to let the tears flow; he is almost successful. “Then why Alex? Why are you bringing all of this up? Why did we even have to make this known to the two of us?”

Her hands fidget on the tabletop and her eyes seem to be drawn to them. “Well this is the most difficult bit.” She seriously had his attention now. What could be more difficult that revealing that his child was not his. “The man I had the affair with…… I know him now.” Florian’s eyes grew to the size of saucers.

“You know him? I thought you said it was a random stranger?

“Yes, it was back then. I swear I didn’t know him and I never went looking for him. He just sort of….. happened back into my life. I didn’t even know it was him. It wasn’t until quite recently we were telling each other stories from our past when we realized that we had met before. When I connected all the dots I figured out that he was the man who had gotten me pregnant.” She stopped to give Florian time to process this unbelievable revelation.

“So he just happened back into your life?”

“Yes.”

“You never went looking for him?”

“Of course not!”

“How did he find you?”

“He didn’t look for me either. He had no idea it was me until we connected the dots.”

Florian sat there thinking deeply. She knew she needed to give him some time. There was a lot to process here. He leaned forward looking almost defeated in his posture. “Who is it Alex?”

“It’s Matt.”

“Matt? Matt Smith?”

“Yes.”

“How is that possible? Hasn’t he always lived in the UK?”

“Yes, but he came to LA for the summer before he went to University.”

“Before University, how old was he?”

“Eighteen”

Florian got up from the chair his body tense and somewhere between hurt and anger in his eyes, “Seriously? Matt Smith who you have worked with for the past four years is the father of my daughter?”

“Well we should probably confirm it with a paternity test but yes I believe he is.” She tried to remain calm. It wouldn’t do for both of them to get too emotional, at least not at the same time.

She looked over at Florian. He was looking out into the garden again, his arms wrapped around himself. He looked so small, so defeated. She hated what this was doing to him but for Matt’s sake and for Salome’s Florian needed to know this. She waited for a long time before he spoke.

When he did it was in a low, muttled voice, “So is this where you tell me that you’re replacing me in my daughter’s life with her idol, The Doctor?”

“No it’s not!” she said with confidence.

He turned to look at her not sure if he heard her correctly. “What?”

“Florian, would you come sit back down, please?” He came back to his seat opposite her. She composed herself before she began again. “I can’t imagine what you are feeling right now or what you went through when you first figured this out.” She touches the paternity paper. “I am so so sorry for all that I have put you through. But Matt has gone through hell with this too. He just found out that the little girl that he has known for the past four years is his actual biological child.” Florian crossed his arms over his chest and sits back in the chair. “I realize you might not be feeling much sympathy for him at the moment but understand this hasn’t been easy for any of us.” A calm silence hangs between them before she continues on.

“Matt and I have discussed this at some length. He of course wants to be a father to Salome.” Florian starts to get up again but Alex lays her hand on his arm. “Stay please?” He sits back down. “Matt already loves Salome and they have a good relationship but he is going to want to spend even more time with her than he has in the past.” Florian nodded in understanding. “The thing is he doesn’t want to break Salome’s heart.”

His fatherly instincts kick in. He sits up leaning forward, “What do you mean break her heart?”

“Matt feels that if he told her he was her father and not you it would break her, cause her damage that she might never recover from. He doesn’t want to rip you from her life nor does he want to upend hers.”

“Alex what are you saying?”, he asks with urgency.

“I am saying that as far as Salome is concerned you will always be her father and that Matt will be a special friend or maybe a stepfather someday.”

Florian is in complete shock. “He doesn’t want her?”

“Of course he wants her!” Alex’s words have a strength to them she did not know she possessed. “But he doesn’t want to do anything that will harm her. He just doesn’t see how telling her the truth now will do anything other than harm her. He can’t ever get those years back when she was little and if he tells her she will lose the special bond she has with you. He told me he just can’t break her heart like that for his own selfishness.”

Florian is silenced. He doesn’t know what to say. Several times he opened his mouth to begin and then closed it again. He is just speechless.

After what seemed an interminable amount of time he finally finds words, “He would be willing to do that?”

“Yes he would do anything to protect our daughter’s heart.”

She looked over to see his eyes brimming again. He definitely wasn’t able to keep the tears from flowing this time. Alex couldn’t stand to see this strong man in such pain. She went to him and put her arms around him and he let her. He let her soothe the ache in his heart. When he had resumed control he pulled away “Thank you Alex. I think I’m ok now.” She went back to the seat opposite him.

“So how is this going to work then?” he tried to be more matter of fact to help get himself back into control.

“Well I think it will mostly be the same as it is now, only Matt is going to want have access to Salome. I need you to make sure you don’t do anything to undermine that either with custody arrangements or in what you discuss with her.”

“I understand. So he is willing for me to still be her father?”

“Florian, you are a wonderful father to Salome. He, nor I want to take that from you or especially from Salome.” Damn he is having a hard time with those tears today. “As far as everyone will know you are her father, only the three of us will know the truth.” She didn’t think it would help if he knew about Karen and Arthur so she thought best to leave them out of it.

“Oh Alex, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you would have taken her from me.”

“Is that why you never told me about this?” holding up the paternity test.

He nodded. “I thought you would use it to take full custody. I couldn’t let you know. Wait….. but you did already know. You knew I wasn’t Salome’s father. Why didn’t you use that to take her away from me in the divorce?”

“For the same reason we’re not taking her away from you now. Your. Her. Father.”

A smile came to his face, it might even turn into a grin.

“God, you really mean it don’t you? After all the crap I put you through. Oh God Alex, I am so sorry. I was just so scared. I kept trying to get full custody because I was so scared you would take her away from me but….. but now I see I was so wrong. You wouldn’t have would you?”

She shakes her head. “No, I wouldn’t have and I won’t now.”

He nods in understanding. “So Matt – he’s a good guy?”

“Yes, he is.” She couldn’t help it if her whole face lit up when she thought of him.

“Alex….. you really do love him don’t you?”

“Yes, I do Florian. I really do.”

“Well you certainly seem happy. I hope he can make our baby as happy as well.”

“He will. Don’t you worry. He will.”

They talked about a few particulars in their agreement and before long Salome was home from school. She was a little surprised that her mom was already there but they both seemed to be smiling so she decided not to worry about it. When Alex told her that Matty was waiting for her at home she beamed with excitement and ran up to her room to get her things ready.

Seeing his daughter’s excitement to this he asked, “So she really loves him already?”

“Yes, she really does. You know you might surprise yourself and find yourself liking him too.”

“Ok, let’s not push it, huh?”

“Ok!” she replies.

With that Salome is down the stairs at the front door yelling for her mom to get going. He walks her to the door. Salome gives him a big hug and says “Bye, Daddy – see you in a few days.” He gives her a few extra hugs and tells her he will call her tomorrow from his trip. Alex gives Florian an understanding look and he returns it. With that they are out the door and heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is still so much more to the story.............thanks for continuing on the journey. I hope you are enjoying it.


	15. “You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt meets Salome as his daughter for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15 title “You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful.” is a quote from The Girl That Waited.

Matt had called Kaz and Arthur and let them know where things stood. They were glad he wasn’t in need of rescuing but Kaz scolded him for not calling sooner. She had been frantic. He assured her he would give her a full update when things were more settled.

He had been pacing the floor for close to three quarters of an hour when he heard the car pull into the driveway. Matt was trying to compose himself. This was just like all of the other times that he had seen Salome (well for her). He was seeing her for the first time…… as his daughter. He couldn’t help but worry that he was going to totally bugger this up.

Before he had too much more time to think about it his arms were full of Salome. She had thrown herself at him as she screamed, “Matty!”

He took her into his arms and squeezed her so hard she started to squeal. He eased up a bit but didn’t let go letting her head rest on his shoulders and breathing in the scent of her hair. It was tangerine he thinks with maybe some kind of spice. Completely without his permission tears sprang from his eyes and down his face falling all over Salome’s curls. Salome pushed back from him and placed her hand on his cheek. “I’m so sorry your sad Matty. How can I make you feel better?”

He was overwhelmed at her words staring at her like it was the first time he had ever seen her. “What makes you think I’m sad poppet?”

“Well you’re crying silly!” she grins at him.

That made him laugh too. “Well, I was sad but now that I see you I think I will be right as rain.”

“That’s good”, she says, “It might be hard for us to have fun if you are sad. So what should we do first?”

Matt is trying to work out an answer when Alex speaks up behind him. “I think you need to go put your things away first missy and change into your play clothes.”

As if on cue both Salome and Matt say together, “But Mom!” They all burst out laughing.

“Go on you, Matt will still be here when you get back.”

She turns to look at Matt, “Promise Matty?”

“Promise Poppet!” and she picks up her suitcase heads off to her room.

Alex comes down to where Matt is still sitting on the floor and puts her arms around him from behind. He leans into her and hugs her arms on his chest. “It’s alright sweetheart”, she coos in his ear, “you did fine.”

“You don’t think I scared the living daylights out of her?” his voice was low and she could tell he wasn’t trying to make light of the situation.

“No Darling, I don’t think you did at all. I had told her you had been sad and that is why she needed to spend a few extra days with Florian. She asked if it was about you not playing the Doctor anymore and I told her that that was part of it. So I think she kinda expected it a bit.”

“Thank you.”

She peered around to look at his face, “For what?”

“For giving me this gift which I don’t deserve…. You and Salome!” A smile starts on her lips before taking over her entire face. She leans down kissing him with a fervor which she hopes says you are very welcome.

 

Before long Salome was back dragging him up and out to the back garden. She knew how to get him smiling as she started to kick the football to him and begged him to show her his tricks. He loved showing off for her. He may have never made it as a professional football player but he still had skills (well at least enough to impress a twelve year old).

Alex was watching them from the kitchen. Her heart was so full it could burst. There was Matt, her Matt playing with her daughter, his daughter and he loved them both. She didn’t know what she did to deserve this most perfect moment but sent a thank you to whatever God she wasn’t sure existed for it anyways.

She was disrupted from her joyous moment by the ringing of her mobile. She clamored over to the counter to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hey there Alex. I thought I should checkup on you to see how things are going?”

“Hi George, well things are actually going pretty alright at the moment.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Well that’s good. I wasn’t sure if I was going to need to bail you out or something.”

She laughed, “What? Think I might just go and do something crazy?”

“Well it had occurred to me!”

“I think I’ve already done enough crazy for one lifetime.”

“That’s good. So how are things working out?”

“Well at this moment I am watching my baby girl playing football with her biological father in my own back garden.” He can hear the pride and almost feel the smile that won’t leave her face.

“You sound happy Alex?”

“In this very moment I am very happy.” She gushes.

“So not to bring you down but have you told Florian yet?” he had to ask.

She walked away from the glorious sight in the back garden and took up residence on the sofa in the lounge. “Yes, I talked with him earlier today.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked with concern in his voice.

“You know it was incredibly odd. Didn’t go at all like you might have thought.” She said wistfully.

“How so?”

“Well….. it seems he already knew Salome wasn’t his daughter.” She said matter-a-factly.

“He what? How?”

She relayed to him the fact that he had gotten a paternity test and what had prompted it. At that moment she realized that she hadn’t even had time to talk with Matt about any of this. Well maybe talking it out with a friend first will make that easier.

“So he knew he wasn’t her father and he never confronted you about it?” he asked incredulously.

“No, he was afraid I would take Salome away from him. By the time he found out we were already having a lot of problems. He probably saw where things were going to end up. It might have even been the last straw for him. I’m not sure we didn’t talk about that. So he just kept it to himself.”

“Wow Alex…….. and he was willing to continue being her father even after all of that?”

“Maybe even in spite of that. He said it was one of the reasons he fought me so hard for custody. He was always afraid I would find out and he would never see her again.”

“Find out? I don’t understand.”

“I don’t think he really knew until today that I knew he wasn’t Salome’s father. I mean obviously I knew I had cheated on him but he assumed I didn’t know that she wasn’t his.”

“So how did he take it?” he asked gently.

“Well it was hard I can’t lie. It was hard for both of us. But we talked for a long time and I think he understands why I never told him and that I would never take Salome away from him.”

“Ok, but what about Matt? Isn’t having a new daddy going to kinda usurp the old one?”

Alex smiled, a real smile cause knowing how Matt wanted to handle all of this gave her such love in her heart. It really told her the kind of man that he was and it was hard for her to contain how that made her feel.  
“Matt! Oh that impossible man! He gave us all such a gift.”

“Ok, can you come down from cloud 9 and let the rest of us in on it?” he sounded a little impatient.

Schooling her emotions, “After he and I talked for a long time he decided that he couldn’t break her heart. He couldn’t take the only father she had known away from her. The person who had given her structure and stability all these years. I suspect he also didn’t want her to think less of me either considering I would have had to admit cheating on Florian.”

“So he’s willing to walk away? But I thought you said they were in the backyard playing?”

“No he’s definitely not walking away more like second dad I suppose. We’re not going to tell Salome anything about this. It will just be between Matt, Florian, and me.”

The line was silent for a bit, “Wow! …..I mean Alex….. Wow!”

“Yeah he’s pretty awesome isn’t he?”

“Awesome? What did you just fall back into the nineties? Boy you must have it bad for him?’

She blushes, “You know, I think I do!”

“I’m happy for you Alex. You deserve it.”

“Thanks George.”

“Well I best be going.”

“Oh George, please you can’t tell anybody about this, ok?”

“About what? You mean that thing we said we were never going to talk about?”

“Yeah that one.”

“Have no idea what you are speaking about!”

“Thanks George, you have been quite a friend through all of this.”

“That’s what I do! Talk to ya again soon. Hopefully next time you won’t start the conversation out by threatening my life.”

“I wouldn’t count on that if I was you. Bye”

“Bye”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .


	16. “There’s a plan?”   “I don’t know.  I haven’t finished talking yet.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt has a plan...well a bit of a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16 title “There’s a plan?”  
> “I don’t know. I haven’t finished talking yet.” are quotes from Flesh and Stone.

The next couple of days are just perfect. Matt spends the day playing with Salome or the three of them go on an outing together. They spend their nights holding each other telling each other “I love you” and other sweet nothings. Salome didn’t even seem to mind when they talked to her about Matt staying in her mom’s room. In fact, she didn’t even seem surprised. “I always thought you were together is all she really said.” When her mom tried to explain that they hadn’t been she responded with, “Come on Mom you too have looked at each other like every romantic movie we have every watched. I just knew you had to be in love.”  
And that was that. It was as natural as anything.

 

On Friday, Matt asked when Florian would be back from his business trip. “I think he comes back either late tonight or early tomorrow. Why?” She was looking at him with a weary look.

“I think him and I should talk.” He said plainly.

“No Matt, I don’t think that is such a good idea.” She protested.

“Actually Alex, I think it is a most necessary idea. He has been Salome’s father for the first twelve years of her life. If him and I are going to be sharing that role from this point further I think him and I need to talk.”

She wrung the dishtowel in her hands as she looked at him. He was determined and a determined Matt Smith was not easily swayed. “I don’t think he is going to want to talk to you.” She stated.

“Well that is certainly his choice but I think you may be wrong there.” She looked at him curiously. “If some guy who I never met was going to be a father to my daughter I think I would want to get to know him. Maybe even put the fear of God in him so to speak. So I very much think Florian is going to want to speak to me.”

She walks over to him putting her hands on his chest still wrapped in the dishtowel. “You are one amazing man Matt Smith. You never stop surprising me.”

“And I never will!” he leans down giving her a chaste kiss. “So where is your mobile? I like to set up a time with him.”

“Why don’t you let me call him? He may be more agreeable if it is me than if it is you calling.”

“That seems fair. I don’t want to blindside him….. well more than we already have.” He looks sheepishly. 

Matt might be happy to have Alex in his life and a new daughter but that doesn’t mean he takes any relish in what this is doing to Florian’s life. He didn’t like the many things that went on between him and Alex but now that all of this has been revealed. He may have felt he had been justified. Alex had let him know about her conversation with Florian and how he had known for some time about Salome. He can understand desperation. Cause at this moment if anyone tried to take Alex or Salome from his life he would be willing to do anything to stop them. So you could say he understands the man a little better now. He also knows from both Alex and from the way Salome talks about her father that he is good to her. He knows that for his daughter that he and Florian have to get to know each other. Anything less just won’t do.

Alex returns from the other room, “He said he can meet with you tomorrow at 4pm. I had suggested a public place, thought it might keep you two from doing anything stupid but he didn’t think it was a good idea to have this conversation where others could hear. He’s probably right so he suggested meeting at his house. Are you ok with that?”

“Yes, I would like to see the other home that Salome lives in. I think his house would be perfect.”

“Ok, let me just text him to confirm.” She sends off the text and looks over to him.

“So what kind of alcohol does he like to drink?” Matt asks.

“What? What kind of alcohol? What do you need to know that for?” She looks at him confused.

He looks at her like how can she be so daft, “Honestly woman, do you think two blokes are going to sit around and talk about the women in their lives without alcohol?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .


	17. “I shouldn’t like that, Kinda do, a bit.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Florian have a man to man talk about the woman in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 17 title “I shouldn’t like that, kinda do, a bit.” is a quote from the episode Day of the Moon.

So that is how Matt ended up standing on the doorstep of Florian Haertel’s house holding a bottle of Belvedere Vodka at 4pm on a Saturday to have one of the most important conversations of his lifetime. He wasn’t kidding himself he had no idea how this would turn out. They could end up in a punch out drag down fight, Florian could just toss him out on his ear, or he could do everything in his power to sandbag his relationship with Salome or maybe….. just maybe they could figure out how to give Salome the gift of two fathers who loved her instead of just one.

Florian opened the door. Matt hadn’t really met the man before. Seen pictures of course, caught glimpses of him while Salome was on Skype and across the room when he came to pick up Salome but this was the first time they were having an actual meeting. Matt put out his hand to greet him, “Hi I’m Matt”.

It was hard to know what was going through Florian’s mind at that moment, probably a lot of things to be truthful. He shook his hand, “I’m Florian.” He opened up the door further gesturing for him to come in.

Once inside Florian made the offer to make tea. He knows the bloke is English and don’t all the English drink tea. Matt surprises him. “Well that would be lovely but I thought the occasion might warrant something a bit more….. like this.” He presents the bottle of Belvedere Vodka to Florian. Florian takes it with an almost reverence. 

“This is quite rare Mr. Smith.” He seems surprised by the offering.

“Yes, well this is a fairly rare occasion don’t you think? And the name is Matt, Mr. Smith is my dad, or my granddad.”

“Yes, well let me get some glasses from the liquor cabinet.” He disappears to go get the glasses giving Matt time to look around the main lounge. It’s cozy, looks more manly than Alex’s, but one thing remains the same. There are pictures of Salome throughout; on the mantle, on the end tables, next to the stereo. They have been taken at various points in time some when she was just a baby or a toddler, or more recent ones. He is looking at the one where she is wearing a blanket tied around her neck, large cartoon character slippers on her feet, and a tiara on her head. She seems to be running around the back garden maybe pretending to fly. He doesn’t hear Florian come up behind him. “That was her superhero phase ~ Super Princess she would call herself”. He chortles to himself. “I guess I know now where she gets that from.” He offers the drink glass to Matt.

Matt seems to wake up from his far away thoughts, “Yes, thank you….. for the drink I mean.”

“I believe you brought it so I think it is I who must thank you.” He retorts.

“Yes, well…..”

Florian indicates that they should go sit down near the fireplace in the deep leather chairs there. Matt sinks down into the chair watching the fire flicker in the fireplace. He feels the need to break the ice by offering up a toast. Raising his glass into the air he says, “To Salome.”

Florian is taken back but can’t argue with that toast and joins him, “To Salome.”

The vodka burns on the way down. Vodka isn’t Matt’s normal drink of choice, a good lager or tequila (if Kaz is involved) but this seems like an appropriate adult drink to discuss a very adult subject (hopefully in a very adult manner).

They both continue to stare at the fire as they sip their drinks. “It’s odd being here”, Matt muses, “It feels weird like I think I would feel if I was here to ask my girlfriend’s father for her hand in marriage.”

“Is that why you are here? To ask for Alex’s hand in marriage?” Florian inquires.

“Wrong father! I would need to talk to Alex’s father for that.” Florian takes note that Matt isn’t easily toyed with. “No, I think it’s more like I’m here to ask your permission to be a father to Salome.”

“But you don’t need my permission for that.” he replies.

Matt leans forward in his chair looking directly in Florian’s eyes “That is true but I want it anyways.”

Florian is awed by his candor and as much as he hates to admit it, his honor. “You know I really wanted to hate you Smith. You’re making that really difficult you know that.”

“I can understand that.” he leans back in the chair. “I’ve wanted to hate you too but how would that make Salome feel? She’s already has to deal with her parents divorce and the tension that goes with that. I can’t see adding to that if we can help it.”

Florian reaches over to the bottle for a refill, he offers one to Matt as well. They study the fire for a while after that. “Matt, are you really willing to let Salome and world think that I am still her father?”

“Yes, because you are. You have been her father for the first twelve years of her life. You watched her grow, take her first steps, say her first words, walk her to school that first time. I didn’t.” He starts to get choked up but tries to hold it together. Men don’t sit around drinking expensive vodka and cry for Christ sakes. More composed, “I can never have those times with her but she shouldn’t lose the memories of having those times with her father.” He looks over at Florian who seems to be having his own issues with keeping it together.

Matt continues. “I have given this a lot of thought. I tried to think how I would feel if someone came in when I was her age and said hey I’m your dad instead of the man who had been there for me my whole life. I don’t think I would have taken it too well. As I have gotten to know Salome these past four years as just a friend of her mothers you have come into the conversation quite a bit.” Florian seems to take more of an interest in his words. “She really loves you, might even say she idolizes you. How could I do that to her?” He looks at Florian. “How could I take her idol away from her?”

Florian seems quite flustered. He’s sure he should say something here but nothing seems to be coming out. He refills their drinks and sits back and lets Matt continue.

“My friend Kaz is an only child. You know who Karen Gillian is right?” Florian nods. “Well she grew up without any brothers and sisters. She always thought she was fine with it. When we started on Who together I think people thought we might become a couple. We were the same age, she’s beautiful but that was never who we were with each other. Over the years our relationship went from friends, to best friends, to more of a brother/sister bond now. And even though she has left Who and I’m about to leave as well, her and I will always have that bond. I have a sister but instead of Karen replacing Laura it’s more like she is in addition to her. My sister Laura and Karen even go on shopping excursions together.” Florian continues to listen but is beginning to wonder where this is going. “Sorry, I tend to ramble. What does all this have to do with Salome?” Florian seems to agree with this question.

“Well I figure if adding another sister to my life hasn’t taken anything away from the sister I already have in my life then maybe adding another father to Salome’s life will be the same.” Florian can’t believe what he is hearing. Can this guy be for real? He pours himself another drink, rises to tend to the fire, contemplating all that Matt has said. Matt decides to stay quiet and let him have time with his thoughts. He refills his glass.

Florian turns in Matt’s direction but stays near the fireplace. “You seem to have given this a lot of thought. So how do you see this working out?”

Matt leaned forward in his chair, both hands clutching his drink, “Well, I think that for you and Alex your relationship with Salome will be the same as it has always been. It would be nice if Salome could be with her mother more but that is something the two of you will need to work out. The part I see changing is how much time I get to spend with Salome. Her and I already have a bond but I would like to be able to build on that by having more access to her. I don’t expect that you are going to want to share your time with me but I believe Alex will be fine with it. I am asking that you don’t do anything to jeopardize my time and my relationship with her.”

“Are you talking about Salome or Alex?”

“Well….. both actually.” He says firmly.

“I don’t know how things will turn out for me and Alex.” Florian puts up a hand of protest. “No, I want to tell you.” He puts the drink on the table between the chairs. Bringing his hands to his face, he rests his chin on them with his elbows on his knees. 

“Since the day I met Alex that first day on Who I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I loved her. I never said anything, couldn’t even admit it to myself. Then we got to know each other as friends, really good friends. I kept wanting to take it further with her but she never seemed ready. I don’t know, maybe I was a coward but I was so afraid of losing her friendship. I never made my feelings known. I decided to push them down and pretend they weren’t there. When all of this came out. I couldn’t pretend any longer. I love Alex, I think I have always loved Alex, and I don’t think there will ever be a time when I won’t love her. So for me I see Alex and I and Salome becoming a family.” He sits back in his chair. “Of course, Alex might have something else to say about it.”

“I don’t think you have much to worry about on that front from what I saw the other day when her and I talked. She seemed as smitten with you as you are with her.”

“Thanks. I can’t imagine that was easy for you to say.” Matt admits.

“No, your right it isn’t but I’ve been letting you do all of the heavy lifting in this conversation. You have come here and spoken very openly and honestly about Salome and Alex. That couldn’t have been easy for you.” He walked back to his chair pouring another measure into his glass before sitting down. Now it was his turn to speak. 

“When I found out I wasn’t Salome’s father I have to admit I behaved very badly. I went out and had an affair of my own. I guess I wanted to get back at her, even though I never told her that. That was really the last straw for our marriage. We had been hanging by threads even before that if I am honest. All the stress of trying to have a baby really did a number on us. When Salome was born I was so happy. Happy that we had a child, and also because I thought Alex and I could go back to normal. But she wanted more children and the continual stress of that process just wore us down. When I discovered that I couldn’t be a father and wasn’t Salome’s either I don’t know I think something snapped inside me. I became possessive of Alex and of Salome. I think I began to realize how little connection I had left to them. It’s why I pushed so hard for custody. Every time she wanted to take her to the UK I thought I would never see her again.” He put his glass on the side table and began to rub his temple with his left hand.

“I never knew that she knew I wasn’t Salome’s father until the other day. I always assumed that if she had known that that she would have used it to get custody for herself and keep me from her. I realize now that I was just being an arsehole. I have to say though when she came to tell me that I wasn’t and then had a name to go with it. Let’s just say it’s probably best that you hadn’t come with her that day.” Matt nodded in understanding.

“But when she got to the part when she told me you weren’t going to tell Salome who you were I couldn’t believe it. I decided that you had to be some kind of a twat who didn’t want to claim his child. But you have come here to my home tonight and spoken to me with honesty and honor. So I must be a gentleman and treat you in kind.” He rose and walked over to Matt and stretched out his hand to him. Matt rose and took it. Florian grasped his hand firmly. “To answer your prior question, yes, I give you permission to be a father to my daughter…. our daughter.” And with that a new family was created.

They continued to drink well into the night taking on much lighter topics getting to know each other. Matt decided that Florian was an alright kinda bloke. He won’t be his best mate like Arthur but his daughter could have done worse. He and Florian reach an understanding of sorts and slightly before midnight Matt pours himself into a taxi and heads back to Alex’s.

Alex has been pacing the floor of the living room since she said goodnight to Salome. She had thought that Matt would have been back by that time and she began to worry. As each hour past she got more apprehensive. She tried calling him but the phone went straight to voicemail. Where was he? Should she go over to Florian’s? When he finally walked through the door a little after midnight she was a basket case.

“Where the hell have you been?” she practically screeched at him. If he didn’t know any better he would have thought Kazza was here.

“What do you mean where have I been? You know where – I was at Florian’s.” he answered confused by her question.

“All this time?” she bellowed back.

“Yes. We had a lot to discuss.” He walked over to her ready to put his arms around her but she would have none of that. “So wait….. are you jealous of your ex-husband now?”

“What??” she looked at him and saw the goofy grin on his face and started to giggle. “I’m being an idiot aren’t I?”

“A little bit, love, just a little bit.” He tried again to put his arms around her and was met with more affection. He held her close and she nuzzled into his chest.

“So do I dare ask how it went?” she tentatively inquired.

He looked down at her with very drowsy eyes. “I think it went well. Can I give you the details tomorrow? I’m not used to drinking vodka and I think I might be a wee bit hammered.”

“Ok lightweight, let me get you to bed.”

“Why Ms. Kingston, trying to take advantage of me?” he teased.

“Always my love, always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The muse felt very strongly that this chapter be written. It seemed quite important that Matt talked with Florian. I hope you felt so too.


	18. “I am running to them.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adjusting to a new family dynamic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 18 title “I am running to them.” is a quote from the episode Power of Three.

A few weeks later Karen and Arthur come to Alex’s for an all-American cookout. At least that is what Matt called it when he insisted that they all get together. 

Arthur had taken Alex out several times in the past few weeks to give her an opportunity to talk about her new family. It really helped having someone who knew them and who could give her a calming perspective on things. Alex was amazed that Matt’s meeting with Florian seemed to go as well as he thought it had. Florian had been very accommodating. He even offered Matt the chance to take her to her soccer (football) practices since he knew it would mean a lot to him. This had all been a bit overwhelming for Alex. Florian was even being nice to her. She wasn’t sure if she could handle all this nice but Arthur talked her down from the ledge a few times and got her to see that this was all really a good thing. He got her to see that it was ok to accept good things in her life.

Karen had been relishing having her best friend in LA for these few weeks with her. He was going to be heading back to the UK soon for Who related stuff. She especially enjoyed having him drag her shopping so that she could help him pick out things for Salome. He had to admit he had no idea what to get for a twelve year old girl besides football accessories. Karen was more than happy to teach him the ways of tween fashion. She also was a great sounding board for him when he fretted over his relationship with Alex or being a good father to Salome. He didn’t know how he would have gotten through all of this without her.

So here they are in Alex’s backyard watching Salome play with her new puppy (yeah, Matt won that argument). They each had a drink while Arthur and Karen were quietly taking bets on how long it would take for Matt to catch something on fire while he was grilling. “Hey I heard that! I’ll have you know I have become quite good at this grilling thing. Isn’t that right, Kingston?”

They turned as Alex came out of the house bringing a plate of meat for him to grill. “Yes dear, whatever you say.” Karen and Arthur just laughed.

Alex came to where they stood watching Salome and her new puppy. “So I see ole Matt there wore you down on the puppy issue?”

“Yes, he caught me at a week moment. Of course, he goes back to the UK and guess who has to take care of the poor thing.”

“Oh, you love it and you know it. Just admit it.” He chimed in from the grill. He came next to Alex and kissed her on the cheek. “Besides it will keep you company when I’m not here.”

“Oi! Mate, so are you saying you can be replaced by a dog?” Arthur teased him.

“Shut it, Darvill!”

Alex shook her head. “It’s nice to see some things never change!” They all laughed.

“Well, I think we’ve all had enough change for the time being.” Karen remarked while staring out to where Salome was chasing her puppy with a chew toy.

“Yeah”, said Matt looking over to Alex.

Alex whispered to Karen, “You do know you can’t tell anybody about this?”

“Of course Alex, we understand. We’re just glad you can share it with us.” She reassured her friend.

“Yeah, we are too.” Matt chimed in putting an arm around Alex’s shoulder.

“Of course what Karen is really saying is that she is glad that she finally has a secret that Steven doesn’t know!” blurted Arthur. 

They all busted up laughing causing Salome to stop and ask, “What?”

To which they all replied. “Spoilers!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .


	19. “Would you like me to repeat the question?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt still has a nagging question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 19 title “Would you like me to repeat the question?” is a quote from the episode Good Man Goes to War.

As there lying in bed arms entangled in each other Matt looks over to Alex with a puzzled look on his face.  
“Alex can I ask you something?”

“Considering all that we have talked about in these past few weeks, do you really have to ask?”

Laughing, “No, I guess not.”

“So what is your question?”

“Whose George?”

“What?”

“Well, when you told me in the car you said it was all George’s fault. Whose George?”

Alex couldn’t help but laugh. She had forgotten all about invoking his name on that night that seemed like yesterday and a million yesterdays all together ago. “Oh that George, well that would be George fucking Clooney.”

“George Clooney?”

“Yeah, it was his big idea that I go to the party in the first place.”

“George Clooney?”

“Yeah, George Clooney, Why?”

“So I have my love and my daughter all because of George Clooney? You know Kaz is so right. LA is weird!”

They both just fell into fits of laughter and then he took her into his arms and kissed her with everything he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This originally was going to be the end of the story. I like the weaving of George throughout their story and I had intended to end it there but the muse had more to say................. so there is one more chapter to go. Thank you to all who have read and commented and kudos. It has been such a cool experience on my first fic. It has been so fun having you along on the journey.


	20. Epilogue: “Something old.  Something new.  Something borrowed.  Something blue.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do they all fair in the future?
> 
> Let's see shall we.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 20 title “Something old. Something new. Something borrowed.  
> Something blue.” is a quote from the episode The Big Bang.

(10 years later)

Alex was smoothing out the lace and silk of the dress when she saw the joy on her daughter’s face. She stopped, looked at her through the mirror, trying desperately not to let the tears flow. “Oh mum, you’re not going to start crying already are you?”

“Well when my only daughter is standing before me looking this beautiful on her wedding day I don’t think anyone would blame me!”

Salome turns to her gathering her mum into her arms. “I am so proud of you honey. Michael is a good man. I think both of you will be very happy.”

She pulls back to look at her mum, “You have given us a pretty good example to follow. If we are half as happy as you and DaddyMatty then we will be truly blessed.”

Alex had to laugh at her use of Matt’s endearment to her. She started calling him that shortly after they had gotten engaged. She remembers how he strutted around for quite awhile after that. It made him so proud. She doesn’t use it so much anymore since she’s “all grown up”, preferring to call him MattDad. There is something about a wedding though to remind us all, that she is still our little girl. 

Its days like today that so many memories come back to her. She remembers how very hard she tried to have a child before she was blessed with Salome. Of course, that turned out to be even a bigger blessing than she knew at the time. She remembers her first steps…………. Her first word ‘No’……… her pirouetting in her ballet tutu…… times when they were still a family with Florian…… times when they became a family with Matt…… her graduation from high school then college……. Bringing Michael home to meet us for the first time. And now here she was about to get married and start a life of her own. Yes, it was going to be difficult to keep the tears from flowing today. Her daughter will just have to understand that.

“I think you are about ready. Is there anything else you need?” Alex asked as she continued to fuss over her gown.

Before Salome could answer there was a knock on the door. With his hands cover his eyes Matt said, “Is the coast clear for some men folk in here yet?”

Salome ran across the room “DaddyMatty” and crushed into his arms. He had luckily dropped his hand a second before his arms was full of Salome. He gave her a deep bear hug taking in her familiar scent of tangerine and spice. Oh how he was going to miss that. He wasn’t willing to let her go just yet and completely without his consent his eyes filled to the brim. When he pulled back to look at her he said, “I haven’t heard DaddyMatty for some time, poppet.”

“Caulk it up to nostalgia, Darling. We seem to be having a run on it today.” Alex chimed from across the room. “I am going to go see what is keeping your father.” Alex slipped out of the door not sure they had heard her. They seemed to be having their own private moment.

“DaddyMatty are you crying too? I thought I was just going to have to deal with Mum today.”

“Hey when your baby girl gets married I’m pretty sure you are going to be crying too!” he defended.

Now he had her crying too. “You always did think of me as yours didn’t you?”

“Yes, and you always will be.” He bopped her on the nose as he said it. That had always been their thing and she was grateful to have the reminder on this day. “Now do you and Michael need anything? Your mum, dad, and I want to make sure that you have a good start.”

Taking his hands she walks them over to the chaise lounge near the mirror. He sits next to her with his hands in hers. He knows that there is something on her mind. He can see it in her eyes. He always could read her and he knew she would tell him when she was ready. “MattDad I don’t know if I have ever told you how grateful I am that you came into my life and mum’s.” Oh she really is making it tough to keep the tears at bay now. “Mummy was always so sad before you were a part of our lives. You made her happy and you always, always made me feel that I was wanted.”

“Of course you were wanted, poppet. What an odd thing to say.”

“Not really. A lot of my friends whose parents remarried didn’t feel wanted by their step-parents. You never treated me as anything other than your daughter. I was the luckiest girl in the world. I got to have two daddies who really truly loved me.” Ok there is no stopping those tears now. “Somehow it seemed to even help daddy. He and mum didn’t fight as much and everything seemed to just be better with you around. I love you MattDad and I am so very very happy that you got to be one of my dads.”

He’s not even trying to hide the tears now, it wouldn’t be possible. “Hey I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be your dad even if you are an old married lady you know?”

Tears have started flowing for Salome as well. “I know. I just wanted you to know. Ok?”

“That’s more than ok. I love you, poppet.” He takes her in his arms and holds his baby girl.

Pulling themselves apart and wiping their eyes, “Well do you think we should go get you married then?”

“I’d like that. But we do seem to be short one dad. Wonder where is gotten off to?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Alex slipped out of the bridal room to give Salome and Matt some private time she hadn’t expected to run into Florian. He had been waiting for her. “Hey Florian, Matt’s in with her now. I thought I’d give them a few minutes.”

“No that’s fine. Actually Alex I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few minutes?”

“Yeah sure. What’s up?”

“Let’s find someplace a bit more private.” He walks down the corridor opening the first door he sees. It is the pastor’s study but it’s empty so he motions for her to enter.

Alex can’t imagine what this is about. Please, please let’s not have an argument today. She really wants this day to be about only happy memories.

Florian gestures for her to have a seat in one of the facing chairs. He sits in the other. “Alex today our little girl is getting married.”

She laughs. “Yeah, I caught that.”

Florian studies his hands while formulating his words. “Alex there were so many times I never thought I would be here for this day. We tried so hard to have a child. For a while I didn’t ever think we would. Then when I found out she wasn’t really mine.” Alex started to say something. “Please Alex, let me finish.” She sat back and nodded. “When I found out she wasn’t my child I lived in fear everyday that you would take her from me and I would miss out on the rest of her life. I know I did a lot of terrible things to you because of that fear and I am truly sorry.”

He leans forward pressing his hands together in front of his chin. “When you came to me that day and told me that you knew who Salome’s biological father was I thought my world had ended. I thought this is it. I will never see my baby girl again. I could have never known that he would be such a man of honor who not only allowed me to remain in her life but allowed me to keep the title of father. I don’t think I could have done that if it was my choice to make.” He leans forward and asks for her hands, she reaches out to him.

“Alex I want to be sure on this day, the day of our daughter’s marriage to tell you how thankful I am for Salome, for you, and for Matt. I suppose I really need to thank him twice for my daughter. Once for making it possible that she was born, and once for making it possible that I was still her father.”

They sat in silence holding each others hands maybe saying a little prayer for the many things in their lives that they need to be grateful for. After wiping away their tears and feeling more composed Alex spoke up, “Are you ready to get our daughter married?”

“Yes, I think I am.”

“Then we should probably get going we left Salome and Matt alone together. Lord knows what they might get up to on their own.”

Florian laughed, “Oh I shudder to think!” Alex laughed too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alex waited outside the brides room while Florian went inside. “Knock knock, ready for another dad?” Florian poked his head in the door. Salome and Matt seemed to be waiting for him.

“I think she’s ready for the big father talk. I got her all warmed up for you.” He says to Florian. He leans over to Salome and kisses her cheek. “I’ll wait outside until your ready.” He says to Salome.

“Thanks MattDad”, she squeezes his hand and kisses his cheek as well.

As Matt is leaving the room he shakes Florian’s hand. “So are you ready to get our little girl married off?”

“No, but I don’t think she has given us much choice.” He replies.

“No, she never did did she?” Matt says with a pat on his shoulder. A moment of understanding passes between them and he slips out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Florian looks at his daughter looking radiant in her bridal gown, her smile beaming to him from across the room. “Oh sweetheart you are so beautiful. You look so much like your mother on our wedding day.” He walks over to her and takes her into his arms.

“So are you ready for the Father talk?” he inquires.

“Dad! I don’t think I need that. Don’t you think you should have that talk with Michael? You know promise to break his legs or something if he breaks my heart?” She teases.

“Actually I already did.” He replies.

“No! You didn’t” she gasps.

“Oh yeah, sure did. Matt too. We double teamed him. I don’t think you have to worry about Michael doing anything he shouldn’t ~ ever!”

“Oh God, I hope you didn’t scare him so bad that he doesn’t show up today.” 

“I don’t think that will be a problem sweetheart. Michael loves you. Matt and I made sure of it.”

“Dad have I ever told you how proud I am of you?” she looks him in the eyes.

“Me? What did I do?” he asks.

“Well… you did raise a pretty good kid!” she says proudly.

“Ha ha…. That I did. But then I didn’t have to do it all on my own.”

She takes a moment to collect her thoughts. “Dad did it make you sad that you had to share me with MattDad?”

He seems surprised by her question and thinks how best to answer her. “Salome when your mum and Matt first got together I was worried. I was worried that you wouldn’t need me anymore because you had a new family. But you know what Matt sat me down and set me straight. He made sure I knew that we were all here to love you and that there was no such thing as too much love.” Salome tightened her grip on his hands. “I can’t say I believed him at the time but somehow we have made this odd little group a family ~ your family. And we will always be there for you no matter what. Understand?”

She nodded sniffling just a wee bit. “Now let’s get you out there before Michael thinks you took off.”

“Oh Daddy, I love you.” She gives him a big hug.

“I love you too sweetheart”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Matt kisses Alex on the cheek in the hallway. “So are you ready for this?”

“No, I can’t say that I am but she seems determined and Michael seems to really love her. I guess there is no stopping love.”

“No, love there isn’t.” he leans over kissing her with all of the joy he is feeling.

“Well I should probably go get seated. It’s time to get the ceremony started.”

“I’m sure our girl will be ready quite soon. Just let her dad have a few minutes with her first.” Matt says.

Alex looks at him with eyes full of love and so very very proud that he is Salome’s father, “Do you know how much I love you?”

“I think I might but you can show me later if you like” he says cheekily.

“Oh you!” as she smacks his shoulder. “I’ll see you at the end of the aisle.”

“You can count on it. Always.”

Alex goes to take her place as the mother of the bride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s not long when the bride’s room door opens. Salome has her veil over her face and her father on her arm. “Ah there’s my other dad. So are you guys ready to get me married?”

Matt looks at Florian. Their eyes both say “NO!” but they look at her and say “Yes!”

The doors open at the back of the chapel. Salome looks gorgeous in her dress with her father on her right and her dad on her left. She looks to the end of the aisle to see Michael beaming back at her. She thinks to herself ‘how could a girl ever be so lucky to have all these wonderful men in her life.’

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end of my very first fanfic. I can't thank all of you enough for your support and your kind words along the way. I didn't think I had a story in me and somehow 30,000 words came out. I hope to have some more for you in the future (maybe not so long though).

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 title “All of reality is threatened” This is a quote from The Pandorica Opens.


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